


Fantastic Wizards and Where to Find Them

by chenjisthisandthat



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Death Eaters are Little Bitches, Dementors, House Elves, Jisung Wants His Friends Back, Lots of magical creatures, M/M, Mentions of Death, Minor Character Death, Moderate Violence, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Park Jisung (NCT) Needs a Hug, Penpals!, Post-Hogwarts, Tags will be updated as chapters are posted, Werewolf! Lee Donghyuck, animagi, magical spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:47:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 33,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25310365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenjisthisandthat/pseuds/chenjisthisandthat
Summary: Dear Fullsun,It’s over, he’s dead. I know I should feel incredibly relieved, but I can’t. I am glad he’s dead, but I don’t think we’re done fighting. We need to find them, and now that the war’s over and Hogwarts is destroyed and I have nowhere to go, I’m going to start looking. I’m gonna try to find Big Head 1 first. I know where he is, I just don’t know how to get him out. It would be great to have your help. Please consider it. I miss you so much, I miss your jokes and your quips and having you by my side. Please write back asap, and please stay safe. I can’t lose you too.Love, MochiThe war may be over, and Voldemort may be dead. But Jisung’s fight isn’t done until he finds his friends.* * *In which Jisung's real battle lies outside Hogwarts: him against the Wizarding World. As more is revealed and more are found, new challenges are faced, and true colors are revealed.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 96
Kudos: 294





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> HUGE thank you to Mel and Noah!! (As well as the WON server for existing). This fic wouldn't have been possible without you guys and I'm seriously so grateful to you both <33
> 
> Major Disclaimer:  
> This fic is set in the Harry Potter Universe. That being said, I in no way, shape, or form support Jk Rowling or anything she has said or posted ever. She is horrible, I do not support her and I am unbelievably disappointed that she turned out to be the person she has revealed herself to be. Trans people are valid.

_ Dear Mochi,  _

_ I heard they’re headed to Hogwarts. Some rumors about Harry Potter and horcruxes. I fear they’ll bring war to the grounds. Please be safe. Please. You’ve already suffered so much this year with the Carrows. I would hate to see you in more pain. I’m doing fine, full moon is soon, I still haven’t found where I’ll get my potion. I would buy it in Knockturn Alley, but I don’t know if I can get there without being caught. I’ll be alright, I promise. Please stay safe, be on guard. As Alastor Moody would say, Constant Vigilance. I love you, and I miss you.  _

_ Lots of love,  _

_ Fullsun _

* * *

Jisung’s heart stops as a green spell flies past his ear, barely missing his head.

Holding his breath, he darts from the wall he’s hiding behind, running across the opening and to another wall. As he runs, he reaches to cover his head with his hands, slipping his wand in his pocket. It’s a good thing he did, as two spells — one red and one blue — fly over head, the blue one grazing his hand. 

Jisung drops to the ground, slumping against the wall, where he’s hopefully safe for a couple minutes. He shakily brings his left hand down from his head, looking at it to only see blood. 

_ “Aguamenti,” _ he mutters to wash the blood off his hand. The spell reveals a cut about 4 inches long, stretching from the base of his pinky finger to the top of his wrist. Jisung grimaces. It stings, badly, and Jisung really doesn’t have time to be losing a lot of blood. The gash is deep, at least a quarter inch. Jisung waves his wand slowly over his hand, attempting to heal some of the cut. It fails. He leans his head against the wall and attempts to calm his increasing breaths. 

Merlin, what Jisung would do for Jeno to be there right now. Jeno’s an excellent healer. 

Except Jeno’s missing, and he has been for 7 months. 

He finally manages to catch his breath when a loud noise sounds above him. The pillars of the wall he’s leaning against are crumbling down on top of him. Jisung throws his hands above his head, curling in on himself. He tries not to scream as rubble lands on top of him and his open wound, battering his back. 

It’s heavy, and it hurts, and Jisung feels like the wind has been knocked out of him. Each time he thinks it’s over, there’s more weight on him and he’s gasping for breath. Finally, finally, the rocks stop falling on top of him. Jisung shifts ever so slightly, pointing his wand to the side. 

_ “Wingardium Leviosa,” _ he croaks, barely getting enough air in his lungs to choke out the spell. He really should’ve paid more attention when they were doing silent spells. 

Slowly, very slowly, Jisung manages to lift the rocks off his back, not caring where he ends up throwing them. He shifts his arms after the weight is off him, gasping for breath. There’s just one more rock in front of him. 

He lifts it quickly, desperate to get out of the rubble and keep moving. He really needs to see Madam Pomfrey. 

However, as soon as he moves the rock he regrets it, because he finds himself mere decimeters from a dementor. All the breath is sucked out of his body. He frantically pushes himself backwards, but there’s nowhere to go. He feels weak, life already leaving his body as the dementor howls in front of him. He grips his wand but he can’t speak, can’t focus on a happy enough memory to utter the spell, and he doesn’t have the strength to do it nonverbally. 

In a last-ditch attempt to survive, Jisung tries to bury his face in his knees, only for the dementor to grab his chin with its clammy hands, wrenching it upwards. Jisung tries moving his head to either side, to no avail. The dementor is centimeters away. 

A bright light appears to his left. A marvelous creature comes flying towards him and the dementor is blown away. Slumping against the wall, Jisung gasps for air, grabbing the rocks next to him to keep himself sitting up. He feels so weak. Jisung can’t move. He takes a second to catch his breath, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the wall. 

The patronus that saved him returns from scaring away the dementor, standing in front of him. Jisung basks in its warmth, breaths coming easier. He opens his eyes to find himself making eye contact with an otter. The otter flits around him playfully. 

“Thank you.” Jisung smiles weakly. 

His heart breaks. Jaemin’s patronus was an otter. He stopped answering his owls a month ago, the same time Renjun went missing. The patronus that saved belongs to one of Jisung’s other friends, Taehyun.

Taking one last deep breath, Jisung pushes himself up, holding tightly onto the rocks next to him and broken wall behind him. He stumbles briefly, before catching his balance. Gripping his wand tightly in his good hand, he makes his way toward the Great Hall. 

He’s stopped after about seven steps, three Death Eaters dropping down in front of him. Jisung instinctively steps backwards, before preparing his stance and holding his wand out in front of him. He can’t lose this fight. But the odds aren’t in his favor. 

What he wouldn’t give to have Chenle next to him, his dueling partner. But Chenle’s parents are Death Eaters, and Chenle stopped going to Hogwarts in January. 

Before any of the death eaters can even raise their wands, Jisung shouts. 

_ “Expelliarmus!” _ He disarms the first death eater.  _ “Stupefy!” _

One down, two to go. The other two death eaters react immediately, the second throws the cruciatus curse, Jisung stumbles backwards, deflecting it at the last second. A green blast flies towards him. _“Diffindo!”_ he cries, barely saving his life. 

The death eaters push him back further. Jisung’s back hits a wall. He’s cornered. 

The second death eater raises his wand, but Jisung’s faster. 

_ “Petrificus totalus!” _ He yells with his wand raised. The Death Eater’s limbs snap to his sides. The spell freezes him like a board. He falls backwards onto the cold ground. 

Before he can celebrate his small victory, Jisung’s wand flies out of his hand. He pales, turning to look at the third Death Eater. He has his wand raised, pointing it at Jisung tauntingly. Jisung spots his wand, but it’s too far out of his reach. He’s going to die. 

The Death Eater raises his wand, and Jisung is sure there’s a grin on his face. He’s bringing it down to fire when Jisung hears it. 

“He’s dead! He’s dead! Harry’s killed him, he’s dead!” A voice travels across the courtyard, raw but victorious. 

Within seconds, the Death Eater disapparates, leaving Jisung alone, pressed against a wall, trembling and scared. Jisung sinks to the floor, heart beating rapidly in his chest. He almost died, he just almost died. Shaking, Jisung reaches across the rubble to grab his wand, hugging it to his chest. 

It’s over. He’s dead. A tear drips down Jisung’s face. He’s so overwhelmed and hurt and tired. He can’t help but bury his head in his knees and sob. 

The war may be over, and Voldemort may be dead. But Jisung’s fight isn’t done until he finds his friends. 

* * *

_ Dear Fullsun _

_ It’s over, he’s dead. I know I should feel incredibly relieved, but I can’t. I am glad he’s dead, but I don’t think we’re done fighting. I don’t know where to go. I might stay here at the dorms until I have the will to go home. Which might be never. Ha. It’s not like anyone’s going to notice either way. I know you keep refusing to let me travel with you, but please, hyung, please consider letting me join you. I know you’re saying it’s because you’re being hunted and you’re dangerous at that time of month but who cares! Blah blah blah, you know I can just transform when it’s that time. We need to find them, and now that the war’s over and Hogwarts is destroyed and I have nowhere to go, I’m going to start looking. I’m gonna try to find Big Head 1 first. I know where he is, I just don’t know how to get him out. It would be great to have your help. Please consider it. I miss you so much, I miss your jokes and your quips and having you by my side. Please write back asap, and please stay safe. I can’t lose you too.  _

_ Lots of love,  _

_ Mochi _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was the first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned, I will be updating weekly!  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny nods. “Do you live here?” 
> 
> Jisung shakes his head. “I’m trying to find the people who do.” 
> 
> “Oh.” Penny fiddles with her fingers. “I hope you find them.” 
> 
> Jisung smiles sadly. “Me too, Penny, me too.” 

_ Dear Mochi,  _

_ I’m sorry, but you already know my answer. I’m being actively hunted, Mo, I can’t let you join me. It’s far too dangerous. As your hyung, I’m not putting you in that kind of danger. Are you sure about looking for BH 1? You know how his family is, they’ll kill you on sight. And I would join you, but the full moon is soon, I think I’ll do more harm than good. As for the war… I’m thrilled it’s over, too, but I fear it won’t change things for me anytime soon, at least not until the Ministry gets back on its feet. But even then, they’ve never been kind to us, and they never will be. I know SG was trying to change that, but now he’s disappeared too. Mochi, please be careful. I know you won’t give up until you find our friends, but, as you just said, I can’t lose you too. I miss you very much, love you too, don’t lose hope. Be smart.  _

_ Lots of love,  _

_ Fullsun _

* * *

Jisung’s entire body aches. 

He didn’t sleep well. At all. His mind repeating the image of the death eater lowering his wand repeatedly. Except it doesn’t end like it did. Each time there’s a different ending worse than the last. The first time they aren’t interrupted by the loud shout, and Jisung watches himself get killed, looking down on the dream as if from above. Then he’s in his own perspective, and he dies still. The third time, Chenle is there with him, and instead of aiming and hitting Jisung, the spell hits Chenle instead, and Jisung is forced to watch him die. Over and over. Jisung. Chenle. Renjun. Jeno. All of his friends, dying on loop. He wakes up in a cold sweat. 

His stomach growls loudly. He needs food, money, and a plan. But of course, he has none of that. It takes Jisung a second to recognize where he is, only to realize he’s in the Hufflepuff common rooms. Jisung loves the Hufflepuff common rooms. They’re warmer than the Gryffindor ones, with cozy blankets and couches. Warm touches and close hugs. The Hufflepuff common room is full of good memories for him. Jisung’s head resting on Chenle’s lap while he runs his hands through Jisung’s hair, laughing at his sleepy boyfriend. A smaller hand clasped in his, a head of blond hair on his shoulder.

Jisung snaps out of the memories. He doesn’t have time to think about stuff like that. He gulps. Taking one last look at the half-burnt common rooms, he makes his way out, ignoring the tear that drips down his cheek. 

He walks up to the fruit bowl painting down the hall, reaching out to tickle the green pair. After a couple of brushes, the bronze handle appears, allowing Jisung to open the hidden door and walk into the kitchens. 

The kitchens are very charred. About half of the room is blackened with soot, while the other half looks worse for wear. 

“Hello?” Jisung calls, in case any house elves are still in the kitchens. That would be nice, then Jisung won’t have to attempt to make himself food. But, much to his dismay, there’s no response. 

Glancing around once more, Jisung walks over to the first cabinet, planning to fill his backpack with food. Who knows when he’ll be able to get more. Luckily, he had managed to grab his backpack from the Gryffindor common room before he went to sleep. 

However, when Jisung opens the first cabinet, he yells, jumping backwards. He had been expecting to see cans of food, or fresh produce, but he never expected to be met with a large set of eyes, which then blink owlishly at him. A house elf. 

Jisung takes a couple more steps backwards, watching as the house elf begins to tremble, large eyes filled with fear and tears. 

“W-wait, don’t cry,” Jisung stutters, unsure of what to do. 

“Please don’t hurt Penny,” the house elf whimpers, covering herself with her large ears.

“No, oh no, don’t worry Penny, I’m not going to hurt you.” Jisung holds out his hands. It probably doesn’t help his case that his left hand is still covered in blood. He hasn’t seen his face,, either, and he’s surely cut in at least a couple more places. 

“I’m Jisung,” he points to himself. “I’m here to get some food.” 

Penny doesn’t move, still staring at him apprehensively. Jisung lets out a sigh, places his wand in his back pocket, then puts his hands in the air. 

“I’m a student, remember me? I would come here with the blond boy and we would bake together.” 

“The blond boy…” Penny says, quietly. “Chenle.” She relaxes. Jisung nods, trying to ignore how his heart aches at the mention of Chenle’s name. 

“You’re the boy Chenle would bring here, Penny likes Chenle, Chenle is very kind to Penny, he is very kind.” 

Jisung ignores the tears welling in his eyes, he hates how emotional he is.

“Yeah, yeah, he’s very kind.” He agrees. He slowly lowers his arm, carefully watching Penny so that he doesn’t scare her. Penny looks at him pensively. 

“Penny will help Jisung get some food.” She hops down from the counter and snaps her fingers. A loaf of bread appears on the counter. Jisung lets out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. 

Penny brings him all sorts of foods: fruits and vegetables, puddings and porridges, bread of all sorts. Cheeses and meats. Jisung takes mostly nonperishables, salamis and crackers, but also takes some bread, cheese, and a handful of fruits and vegetables. His bag is heavy, so he ends up conceding and casting an undetectable extension charm on the bag’s main pocket, allowing him to carry it easier. 

Jisung is heading out when he realizes he can’t just leave Penny. 

Luckily for both of them, Jisung knows exactly where to take her. Jaemin hyung had always wanted a house elf. 

“Penny,” Jisung starts. The house elf perks up, looking over at him, blinding largely. 

“You can’t stay here,” he kneels down to her height. “I have a home that needs tending to, would you like to come with me?” He asks. 

Penny nervously looks at the ground, folding her ears and gripping the end of them, fiddling with them. 

“But Hogwarts is Penny’s home.” 

“I know, but Hogwarts isn’t safe right now, and I don’t know when there will be students at Hogwarts again,” Jisung tells her, holding out his hand. 

Penny makes eye contact with him, blue eyes sharp. 

“Penny will go with Jisung to this house,” she says, reaching out her hand. 

Jisung takes it, and apparates them to Na Jaemin’s household. 

* * * 

“This is it.” Still holding Penny’s hand, Jisung leads them inside, grabbing the key from under the doormat. 

Jaemin, Jeno, and Renjun lived in a nice apartment on the outskirts of London, close enough that Renjun and Jaemin could commute to the Ministry every day, but also close to Jeno’s parents, who are both Muggles. 

Jisung gulps, walking through the apartment. As expected, it’s a bit messy. There are some parts that are neat, the living room is tidy, and there isn’t any food out. But there are messy dishes in the sink, the shoes at the front hallway are unorganized. As Jisung ventures further into the apartment, he finds that the bed isn’t made. Jeno’s office is also messy, his desk dirty and unorganized. 

For the second time that day, Jisung ignores the tears in his eyes. It’s been so long since he’s seen Jeno. He doesn’t even know where he is. Hell, he doesn’t even know if he’s  _ alive _ . 

He’s trying not to think about it. 

“Jisung?” Penny calls. Jisung hurries back to the front hallway to see she is still standing by the door. 

“Penny, can you please take care of this house for me? I’m going to be staying here for a while.” 

Penny nods. “Do you live here?” 

Jisung shakes his head. “I’m trying to find the people who do.” 

“Oh.” Penny fiddles with her fingers. “I hope you find them.” 

Jisung smiles sadly. “Me too, Penny, me too.” 

* * * 

_ Dear Fullsun, _

_ Don’t worry, I’m not you or Snowball, I’ll be careful. I promise. I met a house elf today! Her name is Penny. I brought her back to the trio’s house, you know Snowball’s always wanted a house elf. SG might hate me but, he’s weak for the other two, so as long as they’re fine with it. I think I’m going to be staying here for a while, hopefully BH 1 will be staying here with me after tomorrow. That’s when I’m going to break him out, tomorrow. I’ll use the floor plans he gave me tonight and map out where to go. I’m really hoping this goes well. I miss him so much, like how I’m sure you miss Baby Lion. I’m sorry for bringing him up. I miss him, too. I’ll write to you asap and tell you how tomorrow goes. I promise I’m preparing well for it. BH 1 wants to break out, too, so hopefully that will make it easier. I haven’t been able to let him know I was coming. I’ve tried contacting him through the mirrors, but he isn’t answering. I’d send a patronus message, but I have no way of ensuring he gets it while he’s alone. I really hope tomorrow goes well, hyung. If I’m honest, I’m really scared. But it has to go well, so I’m hoping it will. I love you and miss you, please stay safe.  _

_ Lots of love,  _

_ Mochi _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there's chapter 2! Less action in this one, I hope you enjoyed all the same. I'd love to know what you think! See you next week.   
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung wakes up nervous. 
> 
> Sure, he’s full of bravado and confidence in his letters, but that’s all a face. Truthfully, Jisung is scared. He’s never pulled a heist before. He’s never broken into someone’s house, let alone broken someone out of their house. 

## 

_ Dear Mochi, _

_ Tomorrow, huh, or today, by the time you get this. You better be careful. I know you said you will but I’m telling you to anyway. Don’t worry too much, you’ll be fine. I promise. And I know you’re nervous about seeing Chenle. You have nothing to worry about, he probably misses you just as much as you miss him. Relax, it’s Chenle. You two are like peas in a pod, you have been ever since your first day at Hogwarts. He’s the same old Chenle. Don’t forget to bring water, I know how dehydrated you are. I’m doing well, before you ask. They haven’t found me yet and I think I’ll be safe for those days. It’s tough, I won’t lie, and I miss being able to get my potion. But I’ll be alright. Stay safe. Send me an owl as soon as you get him. If you don’t respond in the next couple days, I’ll come break you out. I love you, and miss you. Keep your head up, Mo. _

_ Lots of love, _

_ Fullsun _

* * *

Jisung wakes up nervous. 

He slept in Jaemin’s room, figuring the older wouldn’t mind Jisung borrowing his bed. He can’t help but anticipate and worry as he lies in bed. 

Sure, he’s full of bravado and confidence in his letters, but that’s all a face. Truthfully, Jisung is scared. He’s never pulled a heist before. He’s never broken into someone’s house, let alone broken someone out of their house. 

And Chenle. He hasn’t seen Chenle since January. He doesn’t even know if they’re still dating. He’s pretty sure they are, but what if Chenle thinks otherwise? 

Jisung swallows his nerves, getting up and packing his rucksack with food and medical supplies from the bathroom cabinet. He wrapped his hand last night. It has finally stopped bleeding, instead scabbing over to create a very ugly wound on his hand. Even though Jisung is pretty sure it was already infected, he wrapped it to prevent any further infection. 

The day passes by quickly. Jisung does nothing but meander around the house. Once night comes, he finds himself more jittery than ever. 

“Penny!” He calls, jumping when the house elf appears in front of him. 

“Yes, Jisung?” She asks, standing with her hands behind her back. 

“I’m heading out for the night, I should be back later but,” he gulps, “if I’m not, just keep tending to the house, okay?” 

Penny nods, frowning. “Penny is worried, will you be safe?” 

“I’m doing something dangerous, but I’ll try.” 

Jisung walks over to the closet by the front door. That’s where Jaemin keeps his old broomsticks—his racing stick he keeps at the Quidditch pitch. Grabbing an old Nimbus 2000, Jisung steps out the door. He places a cloaking charm over himself and the broom before taking off into the night. While he flies, he puts on his ski mask.

The flight to Chenle’s family’s secret house is short. The house is on a small island just off the coast. Jisung lands in the forest, placing his broomstick in his bag. He creeps forward, feeling the air around him shift as he walks through the magical barrier. Assuming no one knows the location of their house, the Zhongs had only placed concealment enchantments around the building. That’s what Chenle told him. 

The house is grand, a large mansion with pillars at the front and numerous balconies around the sides. There are two guards by the front entrance, and others walking around the perimeter. 

Step 1: Get past the guards. He tries to remember what Chenle told him. There’s a blind spot on the east side of the house, where the trees are closer and you can’t be seen from the balcony. 

There are so many guards. Jisung curses quietly. Sure, Chenle warned him of that, but it doesn’t have him cursing pureblood families any less. 

Just as instructed, Jisung creeps around to the east side of the house, spotting the path that will keep him out of the building’s light. 

Thank Merlin Chenle told him all this before his parents took him from school. 

Jisung peers out from his spot behind a large tree. The second the nearby guard turns around he books it, sprinting to the side of the house. His heart pounds in his chest. He looks around the wall, pressed up tight against it. He creeps over to the nearest basement window, hopping into the crevice into the ground where the window sits. 

Step 2: Get into the basement. 

_ “Muffliato,” _ Jisung whispers, casting the spell around him and the window. 

_ “Diffindo!” _ He points his wand at the window, shattering the glass. He sweeps the glass away and slips inside. Once inside, he turns to fix the window with a wave of his wand. Don’t leave a trace. 

Step 3: Find Chenle’s room. 

Chenle had warned him that his parents would probably keep him in the dungeon, what with Chenle being a traitor and all. He had been branded as such the minute he was sorted into Hufflepuff. Jisung had hated that, but Chenle assured him it would be just fine. 

Jisung slips into the room’s corner, cloaking himself and pulling out the floor plan. He’s in the far east wing, and according to the large, red circle on the map, Chenle’s just two doors down. 

Jisung’s heart rate spikes as he leaves the room, trying to keep his breathing calm and steady. He looks around, using the tip of his wand for light. He can’t hear anyone around him, so he breaks into a sprint, running towards the second door down on the right. 

Heart pounding in his chest, Jisung faces the door. 

_ “Alohomora,” _ Jisung whispers, and the lock clicks. He opens the door. 

It’s empty. 

Chenle’s not there.

“ _ Shit _ .” Chenle had warned him he wouldn’t be in that room, that his parents would move him elsewhere, but he still held hope. 

Jisung feels like crying, he wants to sit down and curl up in a ball. He could check every room but he doesn’t have that much time, he just wants to find Chenle. 

Tears well up, and he can’t help it when they begin to drip down his face. 

“Chenle, nononono,” he mumbles to himself, waving his wand desperately around the room. 

He walks over to the wall, resting his head against it, trying to stop his tears. 

Then the wall moves, exactly where his head rests. Jisung jumps back, lighting his wand again. The entire wall moves back, then to the side, opening up a passage behind the stone. 

Jisung stands there, mouth agape, before quickly running into it. 

But Donghyuck told him to be careful, so he pauses. 

_ “Homenum revelio,” _ he whispers. 

There’s one person. 

Jisung sprints. 

He finds another door, this one with numerous locks and a small window at the top. 

He tries to unlock the first lock, only for his spell to fail. 

Shit. 

Jisung’s hands are shaking. He quickly casts  _ Muffliato  _ around them again, before mustering all his strength and blowing down the door. He lights his wand immediately after. 

Once the dust clears, he finds himself in a room not unlike a prison cell. There’s a bed in the corner—a cot—with a thin blanket and a boy lying on it, a blond head of hair that Jisung could recognize anywhere peeking out. 

“Chenle.” His voice cracks. He reaches up and lifts off his ski mask. 

The boy stirs in his sleep. 

“Hello?” He sits up, rubbing at his eyes. 

Jisung chokes on a sob, he hasn’t heard that voice in so long. 

“Jisung?” Chenle dangles his legs off the bed. 

“Chenle, I’ve missed you so m—” Jisung’s cut off by Chenle tackling him in a hug. Jisung can’t help but cry while he holds him, burying his face in the crook of his neck. 

Chenle is thin, much thinner than when he left in January, and Jisung is so worried about his physical and mental condition it isn’t even funny. 

They pull apart, Jisung’s hands resting on Chenle’s waist while Chenle reaches up to cup Jisung’s cheeks. 

“Oh, my Jisungie, don’t cry,” Chenle says, smiling. He gently wipes the tears off Jisung’s cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. 

“You hypocrite.” Jisung gives a wet laugh. Chenle has tears in his eyes as well. 

Chenle simply shakes his head, standing on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Jisung’s lips. 

Jisung kisses back happily. He’s missed this so much. 

They pull apart shortly. They need to leave. 

“I’ve missed you so much,” Jisung whispers. 

“I’ve missed you, too,” Chenle whispers back, kissing him once more. 

“Do you have a bag?” Jisung asks, dropping his ski mask in his own. 

Chenle nods, pressing a brick on the wall, which opens a small compartment, out of 

which Chenle pulls a small bag. 

“Here,” Jisung holds out his own bag, so that Chenle can drop his into it. Chenle raises an eyebrow. 

Jisung smirks. “Undetectable extension charm.” 

“You’re cute,” Chenle says, dropping his bag in Jisung’s and zipping the zipper. Jisung is about to respond when he hears footsteps behind him. 

Jisung whips around, wand brandished. He pushes Chenle behind him as Chenle’s older brother appears at the foot of the staircase. 

Jisung relaxes. Sicheng has his hands raised in surrender. He can be trusted.

“They aren’t going to be out for much longer, you need to leave, now,” Sicheng says, tone urgent. 

Jisung gulps, lowering his wand to grab Chenle’s hands. 

“You came here on broom?” Sicheng asks, motioning for them to follow him out of the room. 

“Yeah, I flew in and broke the eastern window. I didn’t realize anyone noticed me.” 

Sicheng leads them around the corner and back into the room Jisung came in. 

Sicheng grimaces. “You didn’t, but the spells did.” 

Sicheng turns, before whipping out his wand and blowing out the entirety of the window, as well as a 1 foot perimeter around it. 

“Just fly out now, the guards will be here any second.” Jisung whips his backpack off his shoulder, retrieving his broomstick. 

“Ge, will you be okay?” Chenle asks Sicheng, running over to hug him. Sicheng nods. 

“Here, Chenle.” Sicheng hands Chenle a dark, short wand with a golden nub at the end. 

“My wand,” Chenle whispers, “I haven’t seen it in months.” 

Sicheng smiles at him, ruffling his hair, “I’ll miss you. Now go.” 

“Thank you,” Jisung says to Sicheng, mounting his broom. Sicheng pushes Chenle on the broom. Chenle has tears in his eyes as he reluctantly lets go of his brother, instead wrapping his arms around Jisung’s waist. 

“I love you, ge,” Chenle says as they rise into the air. 

“I love you too.” 

Jisung kicks at the ground and speeds into the air, past the guards and high into the night sky, moving out of sight before anyone has the opportunity to shoot. 

* * *

_ Dear Fullsun,  _

_ I got him. I got him, I started crying when I saw him, I couldn’t help myself. He’s so thin, hyung, and beaten. I don’t know what to do. It was so good to just hold him in my arms again, I missed him so much. You understand. But he’s okay, he’s okay now and I’ve got him. He passed out again the minute we got back, but at least I finally got to hold him in my arms again while we slept. I hope the first night wasn’t too bad, I know it’s always the worst. I really hope you’re safe. Don’t get caught like that. I think we’re going to try to find Jeno next, he’s been gone for so long. But first, my boy needs some time to rest. You should rest, too. Love you, and miss you. _

_ Lots of love, _

_ Mochi _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's chapter 3! Hope you all enjoyed!  
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	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mochi, 
> 
> This letter is short but that’s because I found something very important and we need to meet up now. I’m very glad you saved BH 1 and I hope he is doing well. Bring him along when you meet me, we shouldn’t leave him alone. I need you to meet me at the place where it all began, seventeen years ago, with an infant and someone ugly. You can figure it out. I love you, see you soon. I’ll explain when you’re here.
> 
> Fullsun

##  4.

_ Mochi,  _

_ This letter is short but that’s because I found something very important and we need to meet up now. I’m very glad you saved BH 1 and I hope he is doing well. Bring him along when you meet me, we shouldn’t leave him alone. I need you to meet me at the place where it all began, seventeen years ago, with an infant and someone ugly. You can figure it out. I love you, see you soon. I’ll explain when you’re here. _

_ Fullsun _

* * *

“What on earth does this mean?” Jisung glares at the letter. “When what began? What happened seventeen years ago? And where?” 

Jisung has never been this confused in his life, and he spends a lot of time confused. Of course, leave it to Donghyuck to talk in cryptic code. And the letter is so short, he didn’t even sign it with lots of love! For a second he’s worried Donghyuck has been impersonated, but nobody else knows their nicknames, and it’s still in Donghyuck’s handwriting. 

“Chenle?” Jisung calls, leaning back on the couch. 

“Yes, babe?” Chenle calls back. Jisung’s cheeks flush at the nickname. 

“What happened seventeen years ago?” 

Chenle walks into the room, comb in hand, in the middle of combing wet hair. He’s wearing Renjun’s Wimbourne Wasps shirt, Jaemin’s quidditch team. Jisung’s chest pangs. 

“Seventeen years ago.” Chenle frowns. 

“Yeah, Donghyuck says the event that started it all, seventeen years ago.” 

Chenle hums, before his face lights up. He lifts a finger. “I’ve got it, that’s when Voldemort tried to kill Harry Potter, that’s what started everything.” 

“Chenle, you're a genius!” He jumps up from his seat. He goes to speak again but Chenle cuts him off. 

“Jisungie, you silly duck, how did you not know that?” Chenle giggles. 

“It’s silly goose, not silly duck.” Jisung pouts. 

“Silly duck is cuter,” Chenle says with a shrug. “Anyways, you were saying?” 

“We need to go to Godric’s Hollow.” 

Chenle raises an eyebrow, “Godric’s Hollow huh.” 

“Read this, I’m gonna go pack out bags.” He shoves the letter into Chenle’s hands and hurries into the kitchen to pack some food. 

“Wait, Donghyuck hyung suddenly wants to meet us? When he kept refusing? What if it’s a trap?” 

“I thought the same thing, but we have to give it a try, right?” Jisung says hopefully.

Chenle looks uneasy, “I’m really not sure, this could be really dangerous.” 

“Please, this is probably really important, otherwise I’m sure he wouldn’t ask to meet.” Jisung wants to see Donghyuck so bad. 

Reluctantly, Chenle sighs, “fine, but if we get captured it is entirely your fault.”

Jisung nods, “I’ll take that.” He throws his bag over his shoulder. “We’ll apparate. You have enough strength to, right?” 

“Yep!” 

They take another 5 minutes to get ready, grabbing the broomstick just in case. They stand at the front door and grip each other’s hands tightly, wands in their free hands. 

“Penny! We’ll be back later!” Jisung calls. 

“Ready?” Jisung asks.

“Ready.” 

* * *

Godric’s Hollow looks worse for wear, especially the old house Chenle and Jisung are standing in front of right now. The house where Lily and James Potter were murdered. 

Jisung will admit he is very nervous. He’s terrified it’s a trap. Chenle is still too weak to fight, and Jisung isn't sure he could protect them both. 

Chenle squeezes his hand, “deep breaths, Sungie. We’ll be fine.” 

They walk into the building, opening the creaky front door and stepping inside. 

_ “Homenum revelio,” _ Chenle whispers next to him. There’s one other person in the house. 

“Fullsun?” Jisung calls out quietly. 

In response, he hears footsteps coming in his direction. Jisung freezes, gripping Chenle’s hand hard in his own. The footsteps come closer, they round the corner. Jisung’s heart pounds in his chest. 

“ _ Donghyuck _ ,” Jisung says, relieved. But he doesn’t let his guard down. 

Lifting his wand, he points it at Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck looks the worst Jisung has ever seen him. His hair is thin and his face and arms are covered in scratches; his eyes are bloodshot and sunken in, with large eyebags. 

“Who was my first kiss?” Jisung’s hand shakes in Chenle’s. 

Donghyuck snorts. “Huang Renjun. Who was mine?” The sparkle returns to his eye.

Jisung cracks a grin. “Lee Jeno.” He rushes forward, lowering his wand and pulling Donghyuck into a big hug. 

“It’s been too long, hyung,” he mumbles. Donghyuck nods into his shoulder. 

“And Chenle, I was so worried,” Donghyuck says, moving away from Jisung to cup Chenle’s face, then pulling him into a hug as well. “Lele, you look so thin,” he scolds. “That’s okay, we’ll get some food into you asap.” 

Chenle smiles. “You don’t look much better, hyung.” 

“Haha, very funny. Now is there a safe place we can go to now? We shouldn’t stay.” Donghyuck shoves Chenle. The younger laughs his squeaky laugh, catching himself on Jisung’s arm. 

Jisung nods, holding out his other arm. Donghyuck takes it, and in a second they’ve apparated away. 

They apparate directly inside the apartment. Jisung has set the enchantments so that as long as he holds the wand that cast them only he can get inside. 

“It’s a safe place,” Jisung tells Donghyuck as they take off their shoes. “I made Chenle the secret keeper yesterday.” 

Donghyuck nods. “That’s smart, Jisung.” They walk further into the apartment, settling at the dining room table. 

“Oh, how I’ve missed this place,” Donghyuck sighs, looking around the room. He kicks off his shoes and flops on the couch. 

“Jisung?” A timid voice comes from the kitchen, where two large ears poke around the

doorframe. 

“Ah, Penny, do you remember Donghyuck? He came down with us once or twice, too.” Penny nods, bowing deeply. 

“Oh don’t worry about that.” Donghyuck waves his hand. She straightens and walks to Chenle. The two begin chatting. 

Jisung had reintroduced them last night and, as expected, they were both very happy to see one another. 

“I can’t believe you got a house elf, Renjun is going to kill you! I thought you were kidding in your letter.”

“Hyung, please, why would I joke about that? I found her at Hogwarts and I couldn’t just leave her there; besides, she knew Chenle.” 

Donghyuck smiles slyly. “So there’s the real reason.” 

“Hyung, shut up.” Jisung whacks him in the arm, eliciting a cackle from Donghyuck. 

“So, Donghyuck hyung, what was it you wanted to show us?” Chenle turns away from Penny, who runs off, probably to go make them tea. 

“Oh! Right.” Donghyuck’s expression darkens as he reaches to pull something from his bag. 

“I think I’ve found a lead,” he says, dropping a newspaper clipping on the table. 

Jisung unfolds it. Across the top it reads: 

_ WANTED: HALF-BLOODS AND MUGGLE BORNS, TO BE TRIED AND SENTENCED FOR STEALING WANDS AND IMPERSONATING WIZARDS. _

Jisung’s jaw drops. He hadn’t heard about this at Hogwarts. 

“What?” Jisung shoots up to look at Donghyuck. Donghyuck grimaces 

“They started rounding them up earlier in the year, claiming they weren’t real wizards and witches. Loads of them got thrown into Azkaban. I never thought it would happen to Jeno because he worked for the Ministry, and he stayed at home.” 

“But wait,” Jisung interrupts, “if Jeno was tried, wouldn’t Renjun hyung and Jaemin hyung have known about it? They worked for the Ministry, so we would’ve known. And haven’t those witches and wizards been released? Voldemort’s dead.” 

“As for the second part of your question, the ministry hasn’t been rebuilt yet, and it’s still full of blood purists. I’m not sure if they’ll get released anytime soon.” 

“As for the trial-” 

“You think Jeno hyung didn’t get a trial, that’s why Renjun hyung didn’t know about it,” Chenle cuts him off, turning to Jisung. 

Jisung nods. “That would make the most sense. There has to be a way to confirm that this is what happened. Even if he didn’t have a trial, he had to have had a file, right?” Jisung asks, hopeful. 

Donghyuck nods. “We need some confirmation. Breaking into Azkaban is no easy feat, even if the dementors no longer guard it. We would want to be 100% sure that’s where Jeno was.” 

“So we need to break into the Ministry,” Jisung says, determined.

“Well, eventually, yes, but first-” 

“We would need Polyjuice Potion, I’m sure Renjun hyung has an old potion book lying around somewhere.” Chenle interrupts, fully on board with Jisung’s plan. 

“We can just impersonate some random ministry workers, they won’t care,” Jisung says. 

“Kids, wait,” Donghyuck cuts off all chatter. “Tonight we rest. I need to heal and so does Chenle. Jisung, tomorrow you can get supplies for Polyjuice Potion, or just the potion itself, but tonight we all need to unwind.” 

Jisung and Chenle both nod. 

We’ll find Jeno, I promise,” Donghyuck says, smiling gently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed chapter 4!!! I'd love to hear what you think!!  
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	5. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Welcome. What is it you seek to acquire? What’s your wish, or your desire.” 
> 
> Jisung freezes. He turns to his right, where he believed the sound to come from, and pushes through the curtain. 
> 
> He’s met with a large cauldron, bubbling with a bright yellow potion inside. All around the walls on shelves sit potion bottle after potion bottle. A woman sits on the other side of the cauldron. She has dark, black hair tied up in a ponytail and piercing dark eyes. Her nails are the same blood red, long and pointed. She is sitting straight in dark purple robes. 
> 
> “Um, hello, my name is Jisung, and this is Chenle,” Jisung says, voice trembling. “We’re looking for a potion.” 

“Jisung, let me see your hand,” Donghyuck says. They’re still sitting at the table.

Oh, right; Jisung had forgotten about that. He gives Donghyuck his hand, watching as the older boy carefully undoes the wrappings. 

“Holy shit, Jisung,” Chenle whispers, reaching for Jisung’s hand to take a closer look. 

“When the fuck did that happen?” Donghyuck asks, still staring at his hand in shock. 

The would is still scabbed over; the edges of it look red and puffy. There is still blood seeping out in a few spots, where Jisung is continually reopening it. The scabbing is dark red and jagged. It’s absolutely hideous, and completely covers the back of his hand, but Jisung is just glad there’s no pus or signs of infection. 

“Um, during the Battle of Hogwarts,” he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, “there were a lot of spells being shot.”

“Nobody shot the killing curse at you, right?” Donghyuck looks at him worriedly. 

“Uh, actually, a couple times.” Jisung looks at the ground. A chill runs up his spine. He hadn’t really realized how close he was to death. “ _ Diffindo  _ works well against it.” Chenle walks over to hold Jisung, pressing his head against his chest, wrapping his other arm around Jisung’s shoulder. 

“I’m so glad you’re alive,” Chenle whispers into his hair.

Donghyuck takes his hand again, murmuring under his breath while waving his wand over Jisung’s injury. 

“Jisung, I had no idea you almost got killed. You didn’t include that in your letter.” Donghyuck sounds grim. 

He was even closer than he’s told them, but he decides not to bring up the moment when he was cornered. He tries not to think about it. What his hyungs don’t know won’t hurt them. 

“There you go, Sungie,” Donghyuck says, patting the back of his left hand. “That should be better. It’s not perfect, but now you should be safe from infection.” 

Jisung looks at his hand. Instead of the ugly red marring his skin, there’s a softer pink, and the wound looks significantly more closed than before. 

“Thanks hyung,” Jisung says gratefully, closing and opening his fist with ease. 

“Now, go to bed, you two! I don’t want to see your ugly faces until the morning.” Donghyuck whacks Jisung in the arm. 

* * * 

“Okay, so, neither of you have been in Knockturn Alley, correct?” Donghyuck asks, hands resting on the table. 

They’ve decided to just buy the potion, after Chenle realized it would take a month to make. They don’t really have that kind of time.

Jisung and Chenle both shake their heads, like ducklings. 

“Everyone in Knockturn Alley looks suspicious, which means you need to look suspicious, too, to fit in.” Donghyuck throws two plain, black cloaks at their faces. 

“You should be able to find polyjuice potion in Toads & Warts. It’s a potions shop run by an old witch named Joohyun. She’s kind, but if she thinks you’re lying about anything she’ll curse you in an instant. She hates liars.” 

Donghyuck sighs. “I really do wish I could go out with you guys, but it’s too dangerous; I’d just slow you two down.” He reaches up to cup each of their cheeks with a hand, patting them. Donghyuck smiles sadly. “You two be safe out there. If you aren’t back by midnight I’m going to go looking for you. Just remember, you’re as suspicious as everyone else.” 

Jisung and Chenle both nod.

“Thanks, hyung. We’ll be okay.” 

“And don’t worry, I’ll make sure Jisungie doesn’t do anything stupid,” Chenle remarks. 

“Hey, Lele!” Jisung pouts. Chenle simply giggles. 

“Bye, hyung! See you in a bit!” 

_ Crack! _

* * *

“Donghyuck hyung was right, this place is spooky,” Jisung mutters to Chenle as they appear in the alley. It’s mostly barren, a cold wind blowing through. 

They make their way down the street, hoods up. They avoid talking to people, keeping their heads down and their wands concealed in their sleeves, just as Donghyuck said. 

They find the shop rather quickly. It’s to the left of the street, hidden in a small crook in the wall. The shop has an old sign hanging out front, cherry red block letters on dark wood. The color drips off the letters. 

“Please tell me that’s not blood,” Chenle whimpers behind him. Jisung just reaches out to squeeze his hand. 

Taking a deep breath, Jisung pushes open the door of the shop. 

The inside of the shop is dark, with purple lamps in the corners of the small room. There are 3 doorways off the room he and Chenle stand in, each with dark red streamers hanging down from the ceiling as a curtain. Right in front of him sits a counter, and behind it sits a skeleton, who, upon seeing Jisung and Chenle, waves. 

“Welcome. What is it you seek to acquire? What’s your wish, or your desire.” 

Jisung freezes. He turns to his right, where he believed the sound to come from, and pushes through the curtain. 

He’s met with a large cauldron, bubbling with a bright yellow potion inside. All around the walls on shelves sit potion bottle after potion bottle. A woman sits on the other side of the cauldron. She has dark, black hair tied up in a ponytail and piercing dark eyes. Her nails are the same blood red, long and pointed. She is sitting straight in dark purple robes. 

“Um, hello, my name is Jisung, and this is Chenle,” Jisung says, voice trembling. “We’re looking for a potion.” 

The woman gives a sly smile. 

“Then you’ve come to the right place, dear boys. You may call me Irene.”

“Now tell me,” she says, standing and waltzing over to them. “What is it you seek?” She reaches a taloned hand to Jisung’s chin, caressing the bottom of it. Jisung is frozen where he stands, petrified. Her hand reminds him of the dementors, only hers is warm and full of life. 

“We need polyjuice potion,” Chenle says, stepping out from behind Jisung. 

“And what might boys like you need polyjuice potion for,” she drawls. 

Chenle swallows. “We need to rescue our friend.” 

She hums, pacing back and forth in front of them. “And is that the full truth?” 

Jisung and Chenle exchange a look. 

“We need to break into the Ministry, and soon. We think one of our friends may be in Azkaban.” Chenle says. 

Irene smiles. “Very well then.” 

She reaches over and plucks a medium-sized vial off the shelf behind her.

“This should do for the three of you.” She hands Jisung the vial. Jisung doesn’t even question how she knew there was a third. 

“Good luck.” 

Jisung and Chenle nod in thanks, bowing slightly. They head back to the main room, dropping a handful of galleons on the front desk, then apparating away. 

* * *

“How’d it go?” Donghyuck asks once Jisung and Chenle appear in the front hallway. 

Jisung holds up the bottle of murky, mossy green liquid in his left hand, grinning at his older friend. 

“Nice!” Donghyuck exclaims, moving up from his position on the couch. He takes the bottle from Jisung, placing it on the table. 

“Now we just need to steal hairs from people. Lucky for you two, I have connections, and while you were out I sent a couple of owls to some old friends,” Donghyuck says with a wink. 

Jisung’s jaw drops.  “Hyung! I thought you were laying low!” 

Donghyuck lets out a sigh, “I thought I was, too, but then I got an owl from Yuta hyung and I realized I could take advantage of it. Don’t worry, no one visited in person. They sent hair in the envelopes and promised not to go into work tomorrow.” 

And with that, Donghyuck procures 3 envelopes. 

“You,” he hands the first envelope to Chenle, “will be Kim Jungwoo tomorrow, Department of Mysteries.” 

“And you,” he hands the second envelope to Jisung, “will be Kim Doyoung, Department of Magical Law Enforcement.” 

“While I,” he wiggles the third envelope, “will be Nakamoto Yuta, Department of Magical Games and Sports.” 

“We’ll only have a few hours, so we need to be quick.” 

“Jisung, you’ll be able to check ministry files, so you’re in charge of looking for Jeno’s file.” Jisung nods. 

His heart thrums. The prospect of finally finding Jeno again, of seeing him, is indescribable. Jeno’s been missing for months. Jisung has been losing sleep over him for ages, terrified of his possible fate. But not once did Jisung give up on him, and even if he can’t find those files, he doesn’t plan to. 

“What if I don’t find it?” Jisung blurts out. 

Donghyuck sighs. “I’m not sure, try asking around?” 

Jisung doesn’t like his answer, but he doesn’t have a choice. He nods. 

“So, hyung, what are you and I doing?” Chenle pipes up. 

“You and I are going to try to find information, both about Jeno and Renjun, and Jaemin by extension. I guarantee there’s a link between those two disappearing at the same time.”

The room falls silent after that. Renjun and Jaemin were both completely innocent in the grand scheme of things. Renjun came from an esteemed pureblood family, while Jaemin’s parents were each half-bloods. Their disappearance was unwarranted and sudden, as well as recent. 

Jeno’s at least made a bit of sense, once you thought about it. Being a writer for the Daily Prophet, he was one of the few remaining that didn’t succumb to the dark side’s propaganda, always standing with Harry Potter. The minister himself was an enemy of Jeno. 

Whereas with Renjun and Jaemin, there were no leads, no reasons. Jaemin was a renowned Quidditch player with a side job at the Department of Magical Games and Sports, while Renjun worked in the Department of Magical Creatures. 

They weren’t reported dead, luckily, but there was still a huge gaping hole left in everyone’s hearts. 

The trio spend the rest of the evening lounging on the couch, exchanging stories and tales. 

“What’s the worst thing you encountered, Donghyuck hyung?” Chenle asks, running his fingers through Jisung’s hair where the younger rests his head on Chenle’s lap. 

“Oh, Merlin, the worst was easily when I ran into a group of centaurs about to riot. One of their men had been taken and they were running through the town, attacking wizards left and right. It was scary, but once they learned I was a werewolf they deemed me innocent. Apparently, werewolves are a lot more respected in the centaur community than in the wizarding community,” Donghyuck says with a laugh. “Who would’ve guessed.” 

“Do you know who took the centaur?” Jisung asks, eyes closed. 

“No idea. Whoever it is really has it coming for him, though.” Donghyuck takes a sip of the tea Penny brought him earlier. 

“What about you Chenle, what happened?” 

Chenle just shrugs. “Not much actually. They kept me in the cellar the entire time, wouldn’t let me leave or have my wand. I’m not sure why, they probably didn’t want me tarnishing their name any further by helping Harry Potter or whatever. It wasn’t too bad, Sicheng spent a lot of time with me and I still got fed 3 meals a day. I think my mother felt bad, so she still brought me snacks and meals. I really just wasn’t allowed to communicate with anyone outside. They gave me the letters you sent but I wasn’t allowed to send any back.” 

Jisung reaches up, grabbing blindly until Chenle places his hand in his. Jisung squeezes it. 

“I’m glad they weren’t cruel to you.” Jisung holds Chenle’s hand close to his chest. 

“Me too,” Donghyuck adds. 

“And you, Jiji? I have a feeling you didn’t tell us everything.” Chenle runs a hand through his hair. 

Jisung sighs. He might as well tell them about the moment that’s been haunting his nightmares. 

“Three Death Eaters cornered me,” he begins, omitting the part where he almost got crushed by rubble. 

“It was near the end of the battle. I defeated the first one, then the other two both fired at me, which I managed to deflect or fight back against. I defeated the second, but the third one disarmed me.” 

Chenle and Donghyuck both wait with bated breath. Jisung pushes himself up from Chenle’s lap, needing to sit straight.

“He raised his wand at me.” Jisung chokes on his words. Chenle takes his hand and gently rubs the back of it. “I had nowhere to go, I was backed into a corner.” 

Jisung brings his knees to his chest, shaking at the memory of his closest dance with death. 

“He would have killed me. He was just waving his wand to strike when someone screamed that Voldemort was dead.” He gulps, pushing back the panic building in his chest as he relives what was probably the scariest moment of his life. 

“Oh my god, Jisungie,” Chenle whispers, pulling him close to his chest. Donghyuck stands to come to Jisung’s other side and wrap his arms around his waist. 

“You definitely didn’t mention that in your letter. How many other times did you almost die that night?” Donghyuck asks, voice blank. 

Jisung shrugs, tears dripping onto Chenle’s thighs. “I’m not sure. That was the closest.”

Chenle presses a gentle kiss to his hair. “Don’t worry, Jisungie, you’re safe now.” 

Jisung inhales a shaky breath, burying his face in his boyfriend’s chest. 

He’s safe now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's chapter 5! it's almost ministry time! hope you enjoyed!   
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
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	6. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Woah,” Jisung breathes, stumbling out of the fireplace. He stares in awe at the Ministry of Magic. 
> 
> It’s huge—grand is a better word. There’s a giant fountain in the center, and a large banner of Voldemort hanging down the center. He feels a chill up his spine as he sees a half taken down statue in the center of the fountain, men, women and children holding up the giant statue, faces twisted in agony. 
> 
> Chenle nudges him forward. “You’ve been here before, remember?” He whispers in his ear, gripping his wrist and pulling him forward gently. 
> 
> “Where’s Fullsun?” Jisung asks, looking up at the now-taller boy. Weird. 
> 
> Chenle shrugs. “Not sure.” 
> 
> They had decided it would be best to continue to use their nicknames while in the ministry, due to the fact that both Lee Donghyuck and Zhong Chenle have people looking for them. 
> 
> They have three hours, as Donghyuck told them last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Panic Attacks - Near the end of the chapter  
> Starting at "The guards walk closer."

Jisung wakes up in a cold sweat, the same nightmare plaguing his mind. Except this time, he’s able to turn to his side and see Chenle quietly snoring next to him, and Donghyuck in the bed across from them. 

After their heart to heart the night before, it was Chenle’s idea to move the mattresses into one room, so that they could all be near one another. It was easy enough. Jisung and Chenle ended up in the same bed, cuddling, while Donghyuck took the other bed, content to hug his pillow. 

It’s times like these Jisung feels grateful for Chenle, and bad for Donghyuck. Donghyuck will not get to hug his loved one again, while Chenle, even when he lost Chenle, didn’t truly lose him. 

What Jisung isn’t expecting when he wakes up panting, however, is to make eye contact with Donghyuck across the room. 

“Hyung,” Jisung says, still gasping for breath. He grabs at his shirt with his free hand, his other hand limp in Chenle’s grip. 

“What was it about?” Donghyuck shifts in his blankets. 

Jisung just shakes his head, too terrified to tell the details in case they come true. 

“It was about what you told us about, wasn’t it?” Donghyuck says confidently. 

Jisung nods. 

“You are safe, Jisung, I promise, now go back to cuddling your boyfriend and sleep.” 

Jisung nods again, dazed, and slips back under the covers, pulling Chenle close to his chest. Chenle hums, and tightens his grip on Jisung. Jisung closes his eyes, and finally sleeps a dreamless sleep. 

* * *

“God why is polyjuice so disgusting?” Chenle retches. 

Jisung wrinkles his nose, taking a sniff of his own potion. 

“Here, baby, lemme help,” Chenle says, reaching over and pinching Jisung’s nose. 

“That’s the only way you’ll be able to down it.”

Jisung hums gratefully, tilting his head back and swallowing the potion in one gulp. 

“Nope, still gross.” Jisung coughs. 

Chenle shrugs. “I tried.” 

“Okay, are you two pansies done?” Donghyuck whines—or, well, Yuta whines. 

“Woah, hyung when did you get so tall?” Jisung marvels, looking straight at his hyung. “We’re like, all the same height now.” 

“Actually,” Chenle says, turning his arms over to look at himself, patting his face, “I think I’m taller than you.” He smirks. 

“I would kiss you if you didn’t look so weird.” Jisung ignores Donghyuck’s fake vomit noises. 

Jisung surveys his two friends. Donghyuck now has platinum blond hair with a dark colored undercut, a long nose, sharp eyes, and a moving tattoo of a dragon on his upper forearm. Meanwhile, Chenle has dark hair, soft features, and bright, shiny ear piercings. 

Not that Jisung would ever say this out loud, but Chenle is still definitely more his type. 

“So you’re Jungwoo now, and you’re Doyoung, got it?” Donghyuck, or Yuta, says, handing them each an ID badge. 

“Don’t you dare lose that, Jisung Park. Doyoung will never do me a favor again, in fact he might actually just kill me on the spot.” 

Intimidated, Jisung nods. 

“Alright, let’s get moving.” 

* * *

“Woah,” Jisung breathes, stumbling out of the fireplace. He stares in awe at the Ministry of Magic. 

It’s huge—grand is a better word. There’s a giant fountain in the center, and a large banner of Voldemort hanging down the center. He feels a chill up his spine as he sees a half taken down statue in the center of the fountain, men, women and children holding up the giant statue, faces twisted in agony. 

Chenle nudges him forward. “You’ve been here before, remember?” He whispers in his ear, gripping his wrist and pulling him forward gently. 

“Where’s Fullsun?” Jisung asks, looking up at the now-taller boy. Weird. 

Chenle shrugs. “Not sure.” 

They had decided it would be best to continue to use their nicknames while in the ministry, due to the fact that both Donghyuck Lee and Chenle Zhong have people looking for them. 

They have three hours, as Donghyuck told them last night. 

Jisung and Chenle make their way to the elevator, listening as the female voice chimes in at each location. 

“Department of Mysteries,” the clear voice says. 

“This is you,” Jisung says, reaching to squeeze Chenle’s hand. Chenle smiles at him and heads out of the elevator. 

Jisung nervously fiddles with his fingers, before a short man with red hair walks into the elevator, waving and smiling brightly at him. 

“Doyoung!” He exclaims. “good to see you! I wasn’t sure if I’d see you today, you seemed pretty under the weather yesterday,” he says, bumping his shoulder into Jisung’s. 

Holy shit, what does Jisung say? He sneaks a glance at the short man’s name tag. 

“All good, Taeil ssi, I’m feeling much better.” Jisung does his best to keep his voice steady, nerves overwhelming him. 

Taeil laughs loudly. “clearly not that much better, I told you to call me hyung ages ago! C’mon, Doie.” 

Jisung is very grateful that Doyoung does not blush easily. 

_‘Doyoung is a confident personality,’_ Jisung remembers Donghyuck telling him. _‘he’s very proud and strong-willed, I’ve never seen him apologize.’_

Jisung just laughs awkwardly in response, unsure of what to say. He’s not good at faking confidence. It’s fine, Donghyuck said Doyoung was awkward too. 

“The Department of Magical Law Enforcement.” 

Jisung steels himself. This is it. He follows Taeil down the hall, listening half-heartedly as Taeil rambles on about his dog. 

“The only one that dog ever liked was my old friend Donghyuck! You remember the boy from Hogwarts, yes?” 

Jisung is so caught off-guard he almost trips, but he catches himself and quickly regains his composure. 

“Of course I do,” Jisung scoffs. “That kid never shut up.” It’s easy to talk about Donghyuck. Jisung feels himself relax a little bit at how comfortable it is.

Taeil chuckles fondly. “He never did, did he. I wonder how he’s doing,” Taeil says, gazing off at the ceiling. Jisung tries not to sigh. Not well, Taeil, not well. 

“Anyways! This is you.” Taeil gestures to the door to Jisung’s right before waving and walking away, calling something about lunch. 

Jisung takes a deep breath, and opens the door. 

Donghyuck told him that Doyoung should have the files in his office, but if not, he’d need to sneak into Dolores Umbridge’s office. The ugly hag is still in power. 

Jisung goes straight to the filing cabinet, rifling through tabs. Luckily, Doyoung is a very organized human being, so he’s able to find the Azkaban files with ease. 

Almost too much ease. This can’t be that easy. 

The files are organized by reason of imprisonment. He manages to find murder of various degrees, use of unforgivable curses, magical creatures abuse charges, and being a half-blood, which is disturbing in itself. 

Jisung doesn’t find the Muggle-born files. 

But then he sees a tab in the second drawer he opened. 

Missing persons. 

He drops to his knees, quickly pulling the folder from its place in the cabinet. He sits criss-cross applesauce on the floor, briefly forgetting about his original goal. His heart beats heavily in his chest. 

He flips through the files rapidly, passing name after name and picture after picture. 

Nothing. He doesn’t find Renjun or Jaemin. Which doesn’t make any sense.They’re undoubtedly missing, without question. And they both work for the Ministry, so you would expect them to have files. He’s so confused, why don’t they have files?

But then he gets to the last two and freezes. Because the first file reads his name. 

_Jisung Park_

_Blood status: Half_

_Age: 17_

_Parents: Sooyoung Park and Jihoon Park_

_Status: Deceased_

Jisung winces, stopping reading. The wound of his parents’ death is still fresh. 

Jisung can remember the day vividly. Professor McGonagall called him into her office in December, face grim. 

Jisung lost a part of himself that day. He spent Christmas at Hogwarts for the first time ever, instead of bringing Chenle back to his family home. He still hasn’t gone back, or told his friends. He spent Christmas break mourning, with Chenle taking care of him. But once school started again in January, with the Carrows as brutal as ever, Jisung was forced to get past it far faster than natural. 

He shakes off these thoughts, flipping to the last file. 

_Chenle Zhong_

_Blood status: Pure_

_Age: 17_

But there’s a big stamp over the rest of the information. 

**RETURN TO PARENTS IF FOUND**

Jisung’s blood runs cold. Chenle can’t go back there. He doesn’t even want to think about what would happen because Chenle ran away. 

So he does a really stupid thing. He takes the file, folds it up, and places it in his pocket. It’s not like they weren’t planning to steal Ministry files anyways. 

Jisung takes a deep breath, placing the folder back and rising to his feet. 

He needs to go talk to Umbridge. He needs to find those files. 

Taking a deep breath, he walks down the hall, headed to where Umbridge’s office is, in the center of the department. 

He comes across her door easily, dark blue with a golden name plate. 

_Dolores J. Umbridge_

Jisung takes a deep breath, remembering the scars on his hand from his 5th year. She’s a horrible, nasty woman who Jisung had hoped he’d never see again. 

But now he has to talk to her as her colleague. 

He knocks on the door. There’s no answer. 

_“Alohamora,”_ he mutters, hearing the click of the lock. 

Peering around, he heads over to the filing cabinet. His heart pounds in his chest. He has no idea what he’ll say if she comes in. 

He quickly flips through the folders, Umbridge is a lot less organized than Doyoung, but he manages to find the folder labeled “Muggle-born criminals.” 

Disgusting. 

He takes the folder and begins turning through the pages. There are loads of names, none of which he recognizes. His heart rate increases as he gets closer to the end without having found anything. 

He reaches the end of the folder. Nothing. 

Jisung as he’s about to bang his head against the filing cabinet in frustration when he hears the doorknob turn. 

Oh. Fuck. 

Jisung jumps, turning and making eye contact with none other than Dolores Umbridge. 

“Oh, Kim, what are you doing in my office?” Umbridge asks, her voice light.

Jisung gulps. _Come on Jisung, just play it cool, you can be in here._

“I’m just looking for some files, Dolores.” 

Umbridge hums. “Who were you looking for?” 

“Jeno Lee,” Jisung swallows, tense. “I know his cousin, he’s been asking where he is. I know he’s in Azkaban, but I wanted to confirm.” 

Umbridge tsks. “Don’t you remember, Kim? He was one of the mudbloods who didn’t get a trial, we sent him straight there for betraying the ministry and being a muggle-born.” 

“But unfortunately that’s classified.” She looks up at him with a sharp eye, a sickly sweet grin on her face. “So you’ll have to just tell your friend that you didn’t find anything.” 

Jisung is shaking, completely shaking. He’s trying his best to keep his calm but his blood boils with how much he hates this woman, and with how terrified of her he is. Jeno’s in Azkaban. Jeno, one of his best friends, one of the kindest people he’s ever met, is in Azkaban, and this ugly toad of a woman put him there. 

“Of course, Dolores.” 

With that, Jisung drops the file folder and runs. 

* * *

“Yuta hyung? What are you doing in the Department of Magical Creatures?” Donghyuck turns at the voice, meeting the gaze of Yukhei Wong. 

Shit. Donghyuck went into this knowing he could keep his cool. Except Yukhei was his old crush, and Donghyuck would be lying if he said he didn’t still find him very attractive. 

“Yukhei, I heard a rumor I thought you might know more about.” 

Yukhei raises an eyebrow. Stepping closer, Donghyuck sighs, silently casting the silencing spell around them. 

Donghyuck takes the seat next to Yukhei. 

“I wanted to ask if you knew anything regarding the disappearance of Renjun Huang.” 

Immediately, Yukhei’s eyes turn dark. 

“All I know is he fled the country. I think he brought Jaemin Na, of your department, with him.” 

Donghyuck’s eyes widen comically. This isn’t news to him, but it definitely would be to Yuta.

“Are they together? Like dating?” 

Yukhei nods. “But their third boyfriend went missing in November. It’s tragic, really. I tried sending Renjun an owl, but he never answered.” 

Donghyuck grimaces.

“Anyways, I gotta get back to work,” Yukhei sighs. 

“If you find anything more, let me know, will you?” Donghyuck asks. Yukhei nods. 

“See you around man,” Donghyuck says, waving. 

He’s walking away before he sees if Yukhei waves back. 

* * *

It’s only when the whole world seems to shrink 2 inches that Jisung realizes he has a problem. His pant legs are suddenly a little short, and his sleeves as well. 

Jisung pales. He’s still in Doyoung’s office, and he needs to leave, now. 

Donghyuck had told them that the only way out of the ministry was through the fireplaces they came in. Jisung stands up from Doyoung’s desk, hurrying out the door. 

Then it hits him. If he’s back to normal, so are Chenle and Donghyuck. The stamp on Chenle’s file flashes in his mind. Jisung’s hit with a wave of panic. They need to leave. 

He runs into Taeil mere seconds after leaving the office. Taeil looks surprised. 

“Who are you? Why were you in Doyoung’s office?” Taeil asks, brows furrowed. 

“No time, don’t tell anyone,” Jisung splutters, pushing past Taeil and sprinting down the hall. 

However, Jisung’s plans to get Chenle and get out are put to a startling halt as he runs directly into Dolores Umbridge, knocking them both to the floor.

“Jisung Park? What are you doing here?” Umbridge looks at him in disgust, standing up and brushing off her robes. She holds out her wand threateningly. 

“Uh, um,” Jisung quickly jumps to his feet. “Sorry. Professor.” Without another word, Jisung stuns her. He doesn’t consider the consequences, the only words in his mind being _get to Chenle_.

He hears a loud gasp from down the hall, as a woman saw exactly what happened. Then she screams. 

Jisung runs, weaving through people as he finally makes it to the elevators, pressing the floor button violently. 

He runs out of the elevator, running onto the ground floor only to hear a commotion. 

“There! He’s there! That boy is wanted!” 

Jisung’s blood runs cold. He sprints in the direction of the ruckus only to run straight into Chenle. 

“Chenle!” Jisung almost passes out in relief. “Thank god, where’s Donghyuck? We need to leave.” 

“He already left, let’s go!” Chenle grabs Jisung’s wrist and pulls them through the crowd to the fireplaces. 

They’re stopped within seconds by a group of guards. Without thinking twice, Jisung shoves Chenle behind him. The fountain behind them will protect them from the back. 

Jisung holds his wand up with one hand, holding tight onto Chenle’s hand with the other. 

“Just let us leave,” Jisung tries to say confidently, but his voice is shaking.

One of the guards laughs. “Boy, just hand us the one behind you and everything will be okay.” 

“No!” Jisung’s hands shake with fear. He can’t lose Chenle again, he can’t. 

The guards walk closer, raising their wands. Jisung has to do all in his power to keep his breath normal. His mind flashes back to the Battle at Hogwarts. 

He’s failing. His breaths become more ragged. He raises his wand, ready to attack. 

Then there’s a bang. A cloud of black smoke covers the area. Someone grabs his wrist and tugs, pulling him and Chenle quickly out of the smog toward the fireplaces. 

It’s Donghyuck. He shoves them into the fireplaces, and within seconds they’re swept up in the fire, landing back in Jaemin’s apartment. 

Jisung immediately drops to his knees, trying to regain control of his breathing. His head is foggy and he feels dizzy. Panic still courses through his veins. 

“Jisung.” Chenle kneels in front of him. “Jisung, relax, I’m right here, you’re safe,” Chenle reaches to take his hand. 

Jisung flinches away, backing himself into the corner. He can’t breathe. 

Donghyuck walks over and Jisung freezes. He’s trapped, cornered, just like before. He grips his wand tightly. 

Donghyuck’s eyes widen. “Chenle, we’re crowding him.” He places his hand on Chenle’s shoulder, pulling him back. 

Jisung blinks away tears. The panic decreases a little as he realizes he’s no longer cornered. 

“Jisung?” Penny’s small voice comes from his right. Jisung startles. She’s staring at him with large, brown eyes. Timidly, she walks over to place her hand on his forehead. 

Jisung feels his body relax. He regains control over his breathing. He closes his eyes and leans his head against the wall. 

“Penny, how did you do that?” Donghyuck asks. 

Penny just shrugs. “House elves have all sorts of magic, sir.” 

“Jisung,” Chenle says hesitantly, “can I come over to you?” 

Jisung nods. He presses a hand on the ground and pushes himself up, balancing with his other hand on the wall. Within seconds, Chenle is pulling him into a hug. 

“You’re okay, Sungie, you’re okay.” Jisung just sniffles quietly, resting his forehead on Chenle’s shoulder. 

“Jisung, if you’re okay, we need to talk about what we found,” Donghyuck says after a couple minutes. 

Jisung nods, pulling away from Chenle. “I’m okay.” 

“Good, let’s sit.” 

They move to the table. Penny brings them tea. 

“Jeno’s in Azkaban.” 

Donghyuck slumps in his seat at Jisung’s words. 

“I heard it from Umbridge herself. It was because he also betrayed the Ministry, apparently.” 

Chenle sighs. “Probably because of what he was writing. Fuck the ministry.” 

Both Jisung and Donghyuck nod in agreement. 

“Renjun and Jaemin fled the country, I found that out from Yukhei,” Donghyuck tells them. 

Chenle’s eyes widen, while Jisung gasps quietly. 

“Neither of them had a missing person file, it was almost as if the ministry was hiding it.” 

“So, like, you’re saying the ministry is involved in it?” Chenle’s eyes widen further. 

“It is a possibility, Renjun is the type to get himself in trouble.” Donghyuck leans back in his chair. 

“We’ll have to come back to that, though.” Donghyuck sits up again.

“We need to find out how to break Jeno out of Azkaban.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	7. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung has never broken someone out of the highest security prison in the wizarding world. 
> 
> This will be a first. Jisung has broken into many places recently, but he has a feeling this is going to be the most difficult yet 
> 
> They have no idea where Jeno’s cell is, nor any idea how to navigate or get in. The only consolation they have at all is that there shouldn’t be any dementors. 
> 
> But they have to do it. So time to break in it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning! The cruciatus curse is used on someone near the end of the chapter!  
> Starting at  
> "Then their peaceful moment is broken by a loud, bone-chilling scream."

Jisung has never broken someone out of the highest security prison in the wizarding world. 

This will be a first. Jisung has broken into many places recently, but he has a feeling this is going to be the most difficult yet 

They have no idea where Jeno’s cell is, nor any idea how to navigate or get in. The only consolation they have at all is that there shouldn’t be any dementors. 

The plan is simple. Donghyuck and Jisung distract the guards, while Chenle slips past them in his animagus form, an elegant tortoiseshell cat with orange and black splattered fur and sharp, green eyes. 

Jisung is very grateful they all decided to learn how to become animagi in school, so they could keep Donghyuck company when he took his potion and transformed. Professor McGonagall permitted it, understanding that it was difficult for Donghyuck to spend those nights alone. Even if with his potion he was not violent, it was still unwise for humans to go near, so animagi was the next best option. 

That being said, Chenle’s animagus is best suited for the escape plan. 

After Chenle gets inside, Jisung and Donghyuck take their brooms and fly up to the walls of the prison, waiting for Chenle and Jeno to appear. 

It should be simple, but do things ever really go in their favor? 

* * *

“Remember, Jisung, just let me do the talking,” Donghyuck whispers into his ear as they approach the guards at the base of the large towering prison. 

Jisung nods, biting his lower lip. 

He and Donghyuck are disguised as reporters. Jisung wears a fedora and circular glasses, with an old camera around his neck, while Donghyuck has a feather quill in his hair and a yellow notepad. They fit the parts well. Chenle said Jisung looked cute with the glasses, so he’s considering it a success. 

He gets why Jeno likes this so much. 

“Hello, sirs,” Donghyuck says, walking up to the gate. The two guards look up at him. 

“We’re two reporters for the Daily Prophet,” Donghyuck announces, staring both guards in the eyes. 

The moment Donghyuck has captured their attention, a small cat slips through the gap between the guards, disappearing into the large forretress. 

“You want to interview us?” Guard number one asks, raising an eyebrow at them. 

“We would love to,” Donghyuck says, nodding curtly. 

The first guard nods enthusiastically, but the second guard squints at him. 

“I know every reporter for the Daily Prophet, my wife works there, but I’ve never seen you,” he snarls, taking a step closer to them. Instinctively, Jisung takes a step back. 

Donghyuck doesn’t move. There is no fear on his face, and his demeanor is still relaxed. 

Donghyuck laughs. “Please, we’re new, you probably just haven’t been there while we were there.” 

The guard barks a laugh. “I was there yesterday, Donghyuck Lee.” 

All the color drains from Donghyuck’s face.

Before Jisung can even draw his wand, his limbs snap against his sides and he’s frozen, unable to move. He falls backwards onto the ground, petrified. He strains his eyes, trying to see what’s happening above him. 

Curses fly left and right. Donghyuck manages to hold his own quite well. After a few seconds, Jisung sees Donghyuck leaning over him, panting heavily. 

“Hey, Jisung, give me just one second and I’ll get you back to normal.” Donghyuck waves his wand over Jisung. 

The strong force holding Jisung’s arms and legs at his sides melts away, freeing him. Jisung sits up, taking deep inhales of air into his lungs. 

Jisung looks at the two guards to find them both knocked out on the ground of the pathway. 

Their victory is short-lived. Jisung hears a loud bang behind him; he whips around, deflecting the spell. Donghyuck isn’t as fast. Jisung watches as snakelike ropes wrap around Donghyuck’s wrists and ankles, causing Donghyuck to fall on the ground.

There are five guards, all with their wands pointing out towards Jisung. Gulping, Jisung raises his hands. There is no way Jisung is going to win this.

“Smart kid,” one of the guards says with a barking laugh.

“You two are idiots, what were you even trying to do?” The same guard asks, walking over to Jisung. He wrenches Jisung’s arms behind his back, tying his wrists with thin, strong ropes and taking his wand. Another guard picks Donghyuck’s wand up from the floor, pocketing it as well.

“This one is worth quite a bit,” the first guard says, nudging Donghyuck’s cheek with his foot. Donghyuck tries his best to turn his cheek away from the guards foot, but with little avail. 

The second guard grabs Jisung by the ties around his wrists, shoving him towards the prison. Jisung cranes his neck to look back, relieved to see a guard dragging Donghyuck right behind them. As long as they aren’t separated, they’ll be okay. 

Jisung gulps, nervous of what’s to come. He prays that Jeno and Chenle make it out alright. 

* * * 

Chenle slips into the prison easily. The guards don’t even notice the small cat slink by them. 

Navigating the hallways is much easier without dementors filling the prison, and Chenle’s able to quickly pad around the halls, sniffling continually for Jeno. There are only a couple guards wandering about, and none of them notice the small cat. 

He’s been walking for about fifteen minutes when he smells Jeno’s cologne. 

He isn’t sure how Jeno still smells like his cologne after being in prison for seven months, but he doesn’t question it, as it’s currently saving his ass. 

As expected, Jeno is in the lower security area, on the sixth floor. Chenle follows the scent to a cell at the end of the hall next to the staircase to the seventh floor. 

Pausing in front of it, Chenle peers inside. It’s dark, and he can’t make out anyone at all. 

Cautiously, he meows quietly, slipping through the bars. 

He pads closer to the corner of the cell. This whole cats have better noses thing really is great. 

Relief washes over Chenle as he recognizes the body in the corner of the cell. He runs over. 

Jeno looks significantly thinner than when Chenle last saw him, his cheeks sunken in and his collarbones significantly more prominent. His hands, which are folded in his lap, look more bony, and his hair is in desperate need of cutting. 

Jeno is asleep, head lolled onto his shoulder. His broken glasses hang off his nose. Chenle prods him gently with his paw, praying he wakes up. 

After a couple pokes, Jeno shifts in his seat, turning his head away. Chenle moves closer, balancing with a paw on Jeno’s leg to poke his face even more. 

Jeno sneezes, waking up with a jolt. Chenle pokes him once more, causing Jeno to turn and whip his head in his direction. 

Jeno freezes, blinking twice. Chenle steps off his leg, sitting back on his hind legs. He meows happily. 

“No fucking way,” Jeno whispers. 

Chenle nods, shifting back into a human. “Hi, Jeno hyung.”

“What the fuck.” Jeno stands. 

He walks forward, cupping Chenle’s face. 

“You’re real right? I’m not hallucinating?” He turns Chenle’s head side to side in his hands. “What are you doing here?” 

“I’m real, and I’m here to break you out!” Chenle exclaims, smiling brightly. 

Tears well in Jeno’s eyes, and the older quickly pulls him into a tight hug. Chenle hugs back, grateful to be in his hyung’s arms once again. 

Then their peaceful moment is broken by a loud, bone-chilling scream. 

Chenle’s heart stops. Jisung. 

Jeno freezes beside him. “We need to go, now. I’m sure you had a plan, but fuck that. I know who that scream belonged to.” 

Chenle gulps, nodding. Chenle points his wand to the door and promptly blows it up. 

They sprint down the hall and down the staircases. Chenle’s blood runs cold when he hears another agonized, piercing scream. Jeno seems to notice his distress, as he reaches out and takes Chenle’s hand. 

They make it to the bottom floor in record time, following the sound of voices to a closed door near the front of the building. 

“I TOLD YOU, WE’RE HERE TO BREAK SOMEONE OUT, NOW STOP FUCKING CURSING HIM,” Donghyuck roars, his voice hoarse. 

Chenle steels himself as they stand outside the door. All of his friends are relying on him, he’s the only one with a wand. Jeno is strong, sure, and Chenle’ll be damned if he wasn’t doing push ups in his cell like a crazy person, but he’s severely malnourished, and weak. 

Jeno squeezes his hand, and Chenle blasts down the door. 

There are five guards in the room, and in the center is Jisung, arms fastened to the arms of the chair he’s sitting in, head slumped onto his chest. To the side is Donghyuck, each of his arms held tightly by a guard, hands tied behind his back. 

Chenle doesn’t waste any time, casting a protective spell to circle around Jisung before disarming the man standing in front of him. He hears a loud whump from behind him, glancing to see Jeno punching the man holding Donghyuck in the face, then wrenching his wand from his hand. 

A red spell comes flying towards Chenle. He’s late in darting out of the way. It grazes his bicep, shooting a stabbing pain through him. He stumbles. 

He spares a glance at Jisung. He has to keep fighting. 

Solidifying his stance, he deflects the curse from the guard to his right, quickly throwing the disarming spell at the one to his left.

_ “Reducto!” _ Chenle shouts, pointing his wand at the guard to his right. The man receives the curse in his chest and immediately slumps to the floor. 

_ “Stupefy!” _ Jeno yells, and another body slumps. With a flick of his wrist, Chenle stuns the other, wandless guard in front of him. 

Jeno is untying Donghyuck’s wrists. Chenle turns to Jisung, lifting his protective spell. 

“Oh, Jisungie.” He hurries over to him, quickly destroying the restraints around his wrists. He kneels in front of the boy, cupping his cheeks to lift his head slowly. 

There are tears on Jisung’s cheeks and pain in his eyes, and he looks so, so scared. Chenle’s heart aches. 

“We need to get out of here,” Jeno asserts. “Can he walk?” 

Donghyuck shakes his head, standing with Jeno’s help. “I’d be fucking surprised,” he spits. “They used the Cruciatus Curse on him twice.” 

Chenle pales. They tortured his love. 

Chenle turns to the man who tortured him and brings his foot down on his nose. 

“Fuck you,” he hisses, uncharacteristically aggressive. 

“He deserved that.”

“Lele?” Jisung’s weak voice comes from behind him. 

Chenle turns around in a heartbeat. “Oh, honey, can you stand?” 

Jisung shrugs, pushing himself off the chair. He stands for a few seconds before his legs give way. Chenle rushes to catch him before he falls. 

“Ok, so he can’t. Chenle, you’re going to have to help him then,” Jeno orders. 

Chenle nods. “Of course.” 

“Is that Jeno hyung? Did we win?” Jisung mutters, dazed.

“Not yet, Jiji. Soon.” Chenle coaxes Jisung onto his back, carrying him as they follow Jeno and Donghyuck out of the building.

Jeno leads them a little further into the woods, until Chenle feels the air change as they exit the protective border around the prison.

“Everyone take hold of my arms,” Jeno holds out said arms.“Where have you been staying?” He asks Donghyuck.

“Your place,” Donghyuck answers. In a snap, they apparate, landing in the front hallway of the apartment. 

Thank. Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's chapter 7! hope you enjoyed and take care <3  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
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	8. 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How are you feeling?” Jeno asks, leaning forward on the other couch. 
> 
> “Like I’ve been run over by a stampede of centaurs.” 
> 
> “Well you’re talking in complete sentences, that’s better than before,” Donghyuck remarks. 
> 
> “Yeah the potion helped. Thanks, hyung,” Jisung says, stretching his arms. “So what’s next?” It takes all of Chenle’s will not to smack him for being so stupid. 
> 
> “You just got tortured and you’re already wondering what’s next?” Chenle feels almost angry. What is he thinking?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Mentions of Death

Chenle runs to the bedroom, not even stopping to take his shoes off. He gently shoulders Jisung off, pulling back the covers and setting him on the bed gently. Jisung groans softly. 

“Did we make it? ‘M tired,” Jisung babbles, cuddling into the pillow. 

“We made it, Jiji.” Chenle takes a seat next to him and places a hand in his hair. 

“Everything hurts, make it go away, it hurts,” Jisung curls in on himself. 

Chenle’s heart breaks. Merlin, he would do anything to take his pain away.

“They cursed me,” Jisung mumbles. “It was the most painful feeling in the world.” 

Chenle should’ve fucking shrunken the guy’s head.

He strokes Jisung’s hair softly, running his fingers through it. 

“Jeno and I will work on a potion to make you feel better. We’ll help you feel better, I promise.” He leans down, pressing a kiss to Jisung’s forehead. Jisung gives a weak smile. 

“But for now, you need rest, that will help.” Chenle reaches for the blankets, bringing them over Jisung’s cold body and tucking him in. 

He presses another kiss to Jisung’s forehead, causing the latter to hum happily. He grips the edges of the blanket in his fist. 

“I love you,” Chenle says. 

“I love you too.” Jisung closes his eyes, and drifts off. 

Chenle slowly creeps out of the room, carefully watching the sleeping boy so as not to wake him. He leaves the door wide open so that if anything happens, they’ll be able to hear. 

Chenle walks into the living room, only slightly distraught.

“Jeno hyung, please tell me you have some potion supplies?” Chenle begs, clasping his hands in front of him. 

Donghyuck and Jeno are sitting on the couch together, chatting. Jeno is in fresh clothes, with his glasses fixed. His long hair has been tied up with a red leather tie. The cuts that had littered Jeno’s face are now gone, and even his skin tone is tanner, healthier. 

“Chenle, you look like you’re about to pass out, are you okay? And your arm.” Donghyuck turns to face him, concern in his gaze. 

Chenle nods. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just,” he brings his hands up to his hair. “They tortured him, my Jisungie, he’s so hurt,” he whispers, tears welling in his eyes. 

Jeno and Donghyuck both give him a sad look. 

“He’ll be okay, Chenle.” Jeno walks over to pull him into a hug. 

“Jisung’s a tough cookie, and I have plenty of potion ingredients in the kitchen and the back cupboard. I’m not that bad at healing.” 

Chenle nods into Jeno’s shoulder, taking a deep breath. The smell of Jeno’s cologne helps to calm him down. Calming Jeno scent, that Chenle has missed for so many months. 

“You’re looking better, hyung,” Chenle comments, pulling away. 

Jeno smiles. “Azkaban really wasn’t that bad. It was just really boring, and there wasn’t much food at all.” 

“But,” Jeno’s expression turns grim. “Not everyone was as lucky as me. The guards would torture random inmates for fun, much like they did to Jisung. I only got picked once.” He makes his way over to the kitchen and begins rifling through cupboards.

“That’s fucking illegal. And what do you mean you only got picked once?” Donghyuck says, placing himself on the stool next to the kitchen. 

Jeno stops what he’s doing, sighing deeply. “They used it on me three times before I passed out. I don’t remember what happened after that, or how long I couldn’t move, but it was earlier, when I first got there.” 

Donghyuck looks pissed. “We’re fucking reporting them once the ministry is back on its feet, that’s illegal.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Chenle mutters. 

“I wasn’t even surprised to hear a scream, but when I recognized it as Jisung’s, I was shocked. What even was your plan?” Jeno asks, pulling a book from the shelf next to the stovetop. 

Donghyuck sighs. “We were just supposed to be a distraction, so Chenle could slip by. It worked, but then the guard recognized me.” Donghyuck grimaces. 

Jeno hums, walking around the kitchen and opening cabinets. 

“That was good in theory,” he comments offhandedly. “Chenle, in that cabinet there should be some Dragon liver, in a jar, could you find it for me?” 

He looks back down at his book, before turning and opening the cabinet next to the fridge, grabbing a small bottle. Chenle places the jar on the counter next to him. 

“Also, in the cabinet under the sink there’s a tin of wormwood, could you grab it?” 

Jeno reaches in the cabinet next to the oven, first taking out a large cauldron, then another, squatter bottle. 

“I’m just glad we all made it out of there alive,” Jeno comments. “I still can’t believe you guys came after me. Where are Nana and Injunnie, by the way?” 

Chenle freezes. 

Donghyuck lets out a heavy sigh. “We don’t know, they both went missing a month ago.” 

Jeno falters in his movements. “Oh.” 

“I’m sorry, Jen, we’re trying to find them, really. All we know is they left the country, and it had something to do with the ministry.” 

Jeno nods curtly. He focuses on his potion. Chenle can’t imagine how he must feel. 

“We’ll find them,” Chenle whispers. “Jisung already found me, and you. He’s determined to find us all.” 

“Or what’s left of us,” Donghyuck says dryly. 

The room falls silent, everyone knowing what Donghyuck’s referring to. 

Mark Lee, their oldest friend, was murdered in October, October 23rd. He was closest with Donghyuck; the two were finally dating after years of pining. 

It destroyed Donghyuck. He ended up moving in with Jaemin and co. because he couldn’t take care of himself. 

Wordlessly, Jeno hands Donghyuck a slice of chocolate, having procured a bar from the silverware drawer. It was always Jaemin’s habit to place chocolate anywhere and everywhere. 

Donghyuck accepts the chocolate, taking a bite out of it. He rests his head on his hand. 

“Here, hyung.” Chenle hands Jeno the final ingredient, placing it on the counter with the rest. 

Setting the cauldron over fire, Jeno begins his work, chopping and dicing, juicing and peeling. 

He’s been working for about an hour, wiping sweat of his brow in the hot kitchen, when finally he calls to Chenle and Donghyuck (who abandoned him to rest on the couch) to announce that the healing potion just has to simmer for 30 minutes, then it’ll be done. 

“Chenle, let me see your arm,” Jeno walks over. 

The gash has finally stopped bleeding, but there’s dried blood covering his arm, and the wound is deep. 

Jeno pulls Chenle to the bathroom. First he gently washes the wound and the blood off Chenle's arm, then taking out his wand. 

_ “Vulnera Sanentur,” _ Jeno mutters, waving his wand over the deep cut. 

The effect is mesmerizing to watch. The skin around the cut first turns a softer pink, as does the rest of the wound, then skin begins to grow across the wound, slowly covering it completely, leaving nothing but a long, pink scar. 

Chenle smiles, flexing his arm. “Thank you, Jeno hyung.” 

“No prob, kid.”

“I do have just one question, though,” Jeno asks as they walk back to the living room, joining Donghyuck on the couch. “Why are we here? Why didn’t Jisung go home?”

Chenle furrows his brows, confused. “He didn’t tell you guys? His parents were killed in the fall.” 

Both Jeno and Donghyuck stare at him in shock. “He didn’t tell us at all,” Donghyuck says. 

“Oh, I thought he did.” Chenle looks down at the ground. 

“It’s okay,” Jeno reassures, “we won’t say anything to him.” 

“Hyungs?” A small voice comes from the other side of the room, where Jisung stands, one hand on the wall. 

“Jisungie! What are you doing up?” Chenle yelps, jumping up and rushing over to help Jisung sit on the couch.

Jisung curls into a ball immediately, cuddling into Chenle’s side. 

“I was lonely, and I got scared,” he mumbles. 

“Go back to sleep, Ji,” Donghyuck says, while Chenle wraps his arm around Jisung, holding him close. 

“Wait, Jisung, drink this first,” Jeno interrupts. He brings over a glass with thick, cherry red liquid in it. 

Chenle pushes him into a sitting position. Jisung takes it, sipping slowly. 

After a couple minutes, Jisung finishes the drink and slumps back onto Chenle.

“Now you can rest, Ji, and you should feel better when you wake up.” 

Jisung nods. Within seconds, he is asleep. 

“I should’ve cursed that guy,” Donghyuck snarls quietly. 

“You’re telling me,” Chenle mutters, looking at the sleeping boy next to him.

“Did you ever grab your wands, by the way?” Chenle asks, looking at Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck pales. “Oh sh—” 

“Don’t worry, I got them.” Jeno cuts him off, pulling 2 wands from his pocket. “The second guy had them in his pocket, I just grabbed them.” 

Donghyuck lets out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Jen.” 

“Jen hyung, what about your wand?” Chenle asks. 

Jeno grimaces. “They broke it. That’s what they do when you’re sent to Azkaban.” 

Donghyuck’s jaw drops. “That’s ridiculous.” 

“I know, but it’s cool.” Jeno wiggles the wand he’s been using. “I grabbed the wand of the guard I punched, and it responded well when I used it against the other guard, so it’ll do until Olivander’s back.”

“We should’ve broken that one ugly’s wand,” Chenle grumbles, “so he’ll never hurt someone again.” He pulls Jisung closer. 

Jisung shifts in his sleep, reaching out to grip Chenle’s shirt. 

“Jisung? Are you awake already?” Chenle asks quietly. 

Jisung opens his eyes, blinking slowly. 

“Holy shit,” he groans. “That fucking hurt.” Jisung pushes himself up completely, but still leaning on Chenle. 

“How are you feeling?” Jeno asks, leaning forward on the other couch. 

“Like I’ve been run over by a stampede of centaurs.” 

“Well you’re talking in complete sentences, that’s better than before,” Donghyuck remarks. 

“Yeah the potion helped. Thanks, hyung,” Jisung says, stretching his arms. “So what’s next?” It takes all of Chenle’s will not to smack him for being so stupid. 

“You just got tortured and you’re already wondering what’s next?” Chenle feels almost angry. What is he thinking?

“Yeah?” Jisung yawns, turning to look at Chenle. “We need to find Renjun hyung and Jaemin hyung.” He opens his eyes, flinching when he makes eye contact with Chenle. 

Chenle is distraught, and he’s sure he looks it. 

“Lele, I’m okay, I’m feeling much better now,” Jisung reaches up, placing a hand on Chenle’s cheek. 

Chenle can’t help the tears that well up in his eyes. “I was terrified, you big dummy.”

Jisung pulls him into a hug, resting his cheek on Chenle’s hair. Chenle wraps his hands around Jisung tightly. 

“We can rest for another day if you’d like,” Jisung says, pulling away. He rests his head on Chenle’s shoulder. 

Chenle sighs. “I think that would be best for all of us. Jeno did just get out of prison.” 

“Hey!” Jeno sounds affronted. “I’m good to keep going.” 

Chenle shoots him a glare. “Hyung, you’re shitty at taking care of yourself and we know it, we’re resting another day.” 

“Yikes,” Jeno mutters. Donghyuck laughs loudly, earning himself a punch in the arm. 

Jisung reaches out, taking Chenle’s hand and interlacing their fingers. 

“We can still make a plan, though,” Jisung says, looking up at Chenle. 

He’s too cute. 

“Fine.” 

“Yay! I love you,” Jisung lifts his head off Chenle’s shoulder, pressing a quick kiss to Chenle’s lips. Chenle can’t help but smile. 

“Love you, too.” He rolls his eyes fondly. 

“By the way, Jisungie, you should take that potion every 2 hours,” Jeno tells him. Jisung nods. 

“I think we should send a letter to Jaemin hyung.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	9. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dear Snowball,   
>  We hope this letter finds you well. Judging by the owl, I think you’ll be able to guess who it’s from. I’ll give an update first. This is Mochi writing. I’m trying to find you all. I broke Big Head 1 out, and never lost contact with Fullsun, he’s joined us now. We’re staying at your place, I brought you a surprise from Hogwarts. I think you’ll like it, SG not so much. Bongsik hasn’t noticed yet. Oh, right, we found Bongsik. I’ll tell you the full story another time, I shouldn’t put it in writing. Please reply. I don’t care with what, I just need to know you’re alive. We’d love to meet with you, all of us. We’re praying you’re with SG, and assuming you are, we’d really like to see both of you. I miss you and love you so much, we all do.   
>  Sending lots of love,   
>  Mochi <3

_ Dear Snowball,  _

_ We hope this letter finds you well. Judging by the owl, I think you’ll be able to guess who it’s from. I’ll give an update first. This is Mochi writing. I’m trying to find you all. I broke Big Head 1 out, and never lost contact with Fullsun, he’s joined us now. We’re staying at your place, I brought you a surprise from Hogwarts. I think you’ll like it, SG not so much. Bongsik hasn’t noticed yet. Oh, right, we found Bongsik. I’ll tell you the full story another time, I shouldn’t put it in writing. Please reply. I don’t care with what, I just need to know you’re alive. We’d love to meet with you, all of us. We’re praying you’re with SG, and assuming you are, we’d really like to see both of you. I miss you and love you so much, we all do.  _

_ Sending lots of love,  _

_ Mochi <3  _

Jeno pats him on the back, acknowledging Jisung’s shaky hands and the teardrop on the page. 

“Well done, Jisungie.” Chenle presses a kiss to his forehead. 

“Alright, let’s send it!” Donghyuck yells, running into the bedroom where Jaemin’s owl rests in his cage. 

Crouton is very excited to see them, finally having a task since Jisung stopped sending owls to Donghyuck. Seriously though, what the fuck was Jaemin thinking with that name. 

They send the letter. Then it’s time to wait. 

It takes about a week and a half for Crouton to return. A week and a half of Jisung, Chenle, Donghyuck, and Jeno all living in the same, tiny apartment. 

It hasn’t been pretty, at all. They switch who gets the bed each night, Jeno and Donghyuck or Jisung and Chenle. The other pair gets the air mattress. 

They end up needing Penny to get food for them. Jisung is now wanted after his break-in at the ministry, and Jeno is still supposed to be in Azkaban. Donghyuck and Chenle are still being hunted. 

Donghyuck breaks a lamp at some point. Jeno and Donghyuck get in about 4 arguments, and Chenle makes popcorn during all of them, sitting on the couch and watching. 

Jisung spends most of the time practicing his nonverbal spell skills and dueling with Chenle. Each time Jisung wins, he gets a kiss. It’s great, except he keeps losing. But everytime Chenle wins,  _ he _ gets a kiss, so it all works out. 

Damn, Jisung’s whipped. 

He tries practicing wandless magic, too, but with little success. 

They all seem to be doing better. After consistently having copious amounts of chocolate and healing potion, Jisung is feeling back to his full strength, the curse only bothering him in his nightmares. 

Jeno seems to be doing better as well, having been working out everyday. He elects to keep the ponytail, something Jisung isn’t sure how he feels about. 

Jisung is lazing on the couch, trying to transform water into wine with his wand, when he hears a steady stream of pecks at the window. He looks over lazily, but leaps to his feet when he sees Crouton. 

He rushes over to the window, opening it up and letting Crouton in, except he immediately regrets his decision when Crouton drops a very, very odorous shoe on the counter. 

“Um, guys?!” Jisung calls, prodding the shoe with his wand. 

Chenle makes it to the kitchen first, then Donghyuck, then finally Jeno. 

“What the fuck,” Donghyuck says, walking over to the shoe. 

Jeno pushes past him to pick up the shoe and sniff it. 

“It’s Jaemin’s, and it’s  _ covered _ in his cologne.” Jeno places the shoe down. 

“Wait! There’s a note,” Chenle calls from the doorway to the kitchen. 

Jeno inspects the shoe again. Sure enough, sticking out of the aglet of the shoelace, is the tiniest corner of a piece of paper. 

“How the fuck are we supposed to get that out?” Jeno grumbles. 

“Let me,” Chenle walks over. He heats the plastic of the aglet, then slips it off. Afterwards, he enlarges the letter. 

_ CA, See you soon <3 _

“Really? That’s all it says!?” Jeno exclaims. “They couldn’t have given us any more of a lead?” 

Jisung can tell he’s getting frustrated.

CA. Jisung ponders. They did flee the country, so there’s a chance those two letters mean somewhere else. 

“Jeno hyung, do you have an atlas or, or something with information about America?” 

Jeno blinks at him. “What.” 

“I think it’s a state. CA is a state, I just don’t know which.” 

“It’s California, the big one next to the Pacific Ocean,” Donghyuck says, his eyes downturned. 

Jisung’s eyes widen. “How did you know that?” 

“Mark’s brother lived there, Johnny.” Donghyuck takes a deep breath, straightening. 

The room falls silent. 

“Maybe we’ll see him,” Jeno says gently. 

Donghyuck nods slowly, wiping a tear from his eye. “That would be nice.” 

“But what are we supposed to do with this shoe?” Chenle asks. 

“The obobo.” Jisung snaps his fingers. 

“The what?” 

“The obobo, we learned about it in Care of Magical Creatures. It has a nose strong enough that, given the scent of an item from someone, it can track them from halfway across the globe. We already know Jaemin’s in California, so we just need to go there and start tracking.” 

“Jisung, your mind amazes me,” Chenle says. Jisung’s cheeks burn. 

“Thanks.” 

“Ok, ok, that’s great and all,” Donghyuck interrupts, “but where the everloving fuck are we supposed to find this obscure magical creature?” 

The room falls silent. None of them know. 

“Hyung, you’re not gonna like this,” Jisung starts, turning to Donghyuck, “but you might need to send a letter to Yukhei.” 

_ Dear Yukhei, _

_ I hope this letter finds you well. I have to ask a very, very big favor of you. Do you know where I could find an obobo? Unfortunately, I can’t disclose to you why we need one, but it’s very, very important. Please write us back soon, we miss you and hope you’re well.  _

_ Love,  _

_ Donghyuck & Jisung _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> obobobobobobobobobobobobo  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	10. 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wait, hyungs.” 
> 
> The handwriting is small, and Jisung has to squint to read it. 
> 
> “Our letter was intercepted,” he says, quietly. 
> 
> If you want an obobo fast, and you’re willing to pay for it, come to the 2nd left turn in Knockturn alley at 1400 on Thursday. Don’t be late. Bring enough of value. You can’t tell a soul.

_ Dear Donghyuck and Jisung,  _

_ That’s a very strange request, obobos aren’t common here. They are in the States, I can tell you that much. I’d recommend looking in Utah, in the mountains, or Idaho. That’s where you’d be most likely to find them. I’m not sure you could buy one anywhere, I wouldn’t look for it. _

_ Miss you guys too, _

_ Yukhei _

“That’s ... eerily convenient.” Jeno hums. 

“Knowing Renjun, they probably planned it,” Donghyuck says flippantly. 

Jisung turns over the letter, only to find a note scrawled on the back. 

“Wait, hyungs.” 

The handwriting is small, and Jisung has to squint to read it. 

“Our letter was intercepted,” he says, quietly. 

_ If you want an obobo fast, and you’re willing to pay for it, come to the 2nd left turn in Knockturn alley at 1400 on Thursday. Don’t be late. Bring enough of value. You can’t tell a soul.  _

Jisung reads aloud. He doesn’t recognize the handwriting.

“Do we go?” He asks, looking around the room. 

His friends are all standing with various expressions on their faces. Donghyuck has an eyebrow raised. Chenle seems nervous, while Jeno is flat-out shaking his head. 

“It sounds really sketchy,” Chenle says, fiddling with his fingers. 

“But this might be our only guarantee at getting an obobo, which is our only chance to find them,” Donghyuck reasons, motioning with his hands. 

“Yeah except what’s the point in having an obobo if we get killed?” Jeno crosses his arms.

“We’re not gonna get killed,” Donghyuck argues. 

“We could, this is sketchy as fuck!” 

“Jeno, we’ll be fine.” 

“You don’t know that, Donghyuck, we could get arrested, and take it from the guy who was just there, we don’t fucking want that,” Jeno spits, tone acidic. 

“We aren’t going to get arrested—” 

“Then what if we get tortured? ‘Cause that feels like shit! Both of us can tell you about it.” Jeno gestures largely to him and Jisung. Jisung flinches at Jeno’s loud tone and his words. Chenle grabs his hand. 

Jeno immediately softens. “I’m sorry, Ji.” 

Jisung shakes his head. “It’s fine, hyung.” 

“What do you two think about this?” Donghyuck asks, leaning back against the counter. 

“I worried we won’t find an obobo in Utah or the other place. Professor Hagrid said they were rather rare.” Jisung gulps. 

“But I’m with Jeno,” Chenle interjects, leaning his head on Jisung’s shoulder, “half of us are wanted and the other half hunted, there’s so much at stake.” 

“But this might be our only chance, hyung, if we don’t find an obobo in the states, we’re out of luck.” He’s growing more and more desperate. 

“Then we write another letter and find another way,” Jeno says simply. 

Jisung feels like he’s about to cry. He has to find them. 

“But what if we can’t? What if there’s some reason they didn’t just give us a portkey or tell us their location?” His voice cracks. 

“Jisung, I want to find them just as bad as you do, but—” 

“No, hyung, I  _ have _ to find them, you guys are all I have left.” He ignores the tear that drips down his face. 

Sighing, Jeno pulls Jisung into a hug. 

Jisung needs to tell them. 

“Hyungs, my parents, they—” 

“We know, Jisungie.” Jeno gently shushes the crying boy. “We’ll find them, I promise.” 

* * *

“I’m not sure, hyungs. This is really creepy,” Chenle mutters, trailing behind Jeno and Donghyuck, who are leading the way.

Jeno insisted they fully pack their bags before going, concerned about whether they would be able to return to Jaemin’s apartment. 

Jeno also insisted they don’t show their faces at all, meaning all 4 of them are wearing large black cloaks. Jeno even insisted that Donghyuck and Chenle wear sunglasses, while Jeno simply let his hair hang down his face, and Jisung had to wear fake glasses. 

Knockturn Alley is sketchy, just as Jisung remembers, and Jisung would be lying if he said he wasn’t ridiculously nervous. 

But he needs to find Renjun and Jaemin. He has to. 

They arrive at the designated spot at exactly 1400. The loud crack from behind them signifies they aren’t the only one. 

They turn, facing a man with a young obobo in a metal cage behind him. 

An obobo is a bearlike creature, with a long snout and shiny brown and black fur. They’re smaller than normal bears, and they have yellow eyes and large claws. Oddly enough, most baby obobos wear hats, oftentimes stealing them from the rather unfortunate witch or wizard. They have small, round tails, and ridiculously long teeth for a surprisingly small mouth. This obobo has a small, red propeller hat on its head, with yellow and blue propeller blades. It’s cute. This obobo is about the size of a large dog. 

But something is off. As Jisung makes eye contact with the obobo, it looks terrified. Its eyes are pleading and red-rimmed. 

Jisung’s blood runs cold. They’ve made a grave mistake. 

The man is creepy, to say the least. He, too, is wearing a black cloak. He waves a gloved hand in greeting, and Jisung can see dirt and grime under his fingernails. Jisung cannot see his eyes, but he has a catlike grin, one side of his mouth curling up significantly more than the other. He’s tall but thin, weasely. 

“Hello boys. Have you brought payment?” He waves a hand towards the obobo, and immediately the animal cowers in fear, scooting back in the small cage. 

“Yes, we did,” Jeno says strongly, pulling a bag of gold coins from his pocket. 

The man laughs. “Oh please, boy, you have something of much, much more value.” 

Before any of the boys can question it, or even say another word, the man lashes out, grabbing Donghyuck by the arm and yanking him close, holding his wand up to Donghyuck’s throat. 

“Hyung!” Jisung shouts before he can stop himself. 

Jeno raises his wand, about to strike when the man presses his wand further into Donghyuck’s neck. 

“This one is worth quite a bit to the right people,” the man says slyly, cackling quietly to himself. 

“Aren’t you, pretty boy?” Donghyuck doesn’t say anything in response, but Jisung can see the fear in his eyes. 

Slowly, very slowly, Jisung slips his wand down to his hand, holding the tip of it with his fingers just under the cloak. 

“You can have the obobo now, but don’t try anything, because if you do,” he presses even further. Donghyuck lets out a whimper. 

Focus. Jisung closes his eyes. Imagine the spell, picture the results, feel the magic coursing through you. He opens his eyes, turns the wand in his hand so that it points towards the man. 

“Now that I’m looking at you,” the man hums, “I think I’ve seen your face on a wanted poster too, pretty,” he reaches out, caressing Jeno’s cheek with the back of his hand. 

A flash of red comes flying from under Jisung’s robe hand, hitting the man in a heartbeat. The man drops to the ground, stunned. 

“Grab the obobo and let’s go! We need to leave, now!” Jisung shouts. He grabs Chenle’s hand, then sprints to grab the obobo’s cage. He loops his fingers around the top of it, grabbing hold. He sees Chenle has grabbed Donghyuck’s hand, who has Jeno’s. 

Just as they hear more footsteps, Jisung closes his eyes. With a loud crack, they apparate away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> obobobobobobobobobobobo  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	11. 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dear Snowball,  
> We’re on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Panic attacks   
> starting at “Donghyuck, just fucking summon it,” and ending at the scene break.

_ Dear Snowball, _

_ We’re on the way. _

* * *

“Jisung, where the hell did you take us?” Jeno asks, looking at their surroundings. 

“Hyung, hyung, help,” Jisung calls desperately. He’s kneeling on the ground, hands covered in blood, trying to staunch the stream flowing from Chenle’s thigh. Oh, Merlin. What did he do?

Jeno freezes before hurrying over. Donghyuck is rifling through Jisung’s bag, trying to find dittany. 

Chenle is worse for wear, breathing shuddering breaths, convulsing under Jisung’s hands. Jisung’s mind is clouded by panic. All he can see is the garish wound on Chenle’s thigh, and the blood on  _ his _ hands. 

“Donghyuck, just fucking summon it,” Jisung says harshly, pressing his hands harder on Chenle’s wounds. Donghyuck isn’t fast enough. Jisung barely registers tears dripping down his cheeks but he doesn’t care. 

_ “Accio dittany!” _ Donghyuck catches the small bottle as it flies out of the bag. 

He tosses it at Jisung, but Jeno intercepts it, unstopping the bottle and using the dropper to apply the dittany to Chenle’s leg. Slowly, the gashes begin to heal, the flesh growing back. 

Jisung can’t breathe. He’s starting to feel light headed. The blood on Chenle has faded, but the blood on Jisung’s hands is still there, and Jisung feels responsible. He’s the one who apparated them. He did that, he hurt him, he hurt his Chenle. 

“Jisung!” Jeno shouts. Jisung snaps his head to look at Jeno, who’s worriedly sitting next to him. 

“Jisung, you need to calm down, buddy. Chenle’s fine, see?” Jeno points to Chenle, who’s sitting up now. He’s slowly sipping some water with Donghyuck next to him, his hand on the small of Chenle’s back. Chenle is looking at him worriedly. 

“I hurt him,” Jisung croaks. His heart is pounding in his chest. 

Jeno shakes his head, smiling. “You didn’t mean to, Sungie, it’s okay.” 

“No but Jeno hyung, I, it was my fault.” Jisung cries, his breaths still unsteady. 

“Jisungie, none of us blame you, it wasn't your fault.” 

Jisung just shakes his head, screwing his eyes shut in an effort to stop the tears. He digs his nails into his palm in a far-fetched effort to calm down. Pain shoots up his arm, helping to ground him. 

“Jisungie,” Chenle’s soft voice travels from Jisung’s right. He’s sitting on his own now. Donghyuck is walking around, setting up protective spells around them. Chenle motions with his hand for Jisung to come over. 

Crying still, Jisung scoots over next to him. 

Chenle reaches up, gently wiping Jisung’s tears. Then he takes Jisung’s hands, prying his fists apart to hold his hands instead. 

“I,” he kisses one cheek, “don’t” he kisses the other, “blame,” he kisses his nose, “you.” He leans forward, pressing a brief kiss to Jisung’s lips. 

“It’s okay, Jisungie, it isn’t your fault, it was an accident.” 

Finally calming down, Jisung nods, sniffling quietly. 

* * *

“Donghyuck.” Jeno walks over to him at the edge of the forest. 

“Has that happened before?” He whispers once he gets close enough. 

Donghyuck nods. “The last time was after he and Chenle were cornered at the ministry, they were trying to take Chenle. Penny had to calm him down.” 

Jeno hums, looking off into the woods. “I’ll whip up a calming draught, for the future.” 

“Smart, Jen, I always knew there was something inside that big head of yours.” 

Jeno smacks him, eliciting a laugh from Donghyuck. 

“It is pretty here,” Donghyuck comments. 

“We’re going to have to protect them.”

Donghyuck grimaces. “I know.” 

A pitiful whine interrupts their conversation. The two boys turn to see Jisung slowly approaching the cage of the obobo. 

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” Jisung says, calmly, a complete 180 from how he was five minutes ago. 

He raises his hand, only causing the obobo’s stress to increase more. 

“Jisung, it’s your wand,” Chenle says, sitting a couple feet behind him. “I’ll take it.” 

Wordlessly, Jisung passes Chenle his wand, then raises his hands again. 

He slowly reaches out, slipping his hand through the bars. The obobo pushes itself against the back wall of the cage, snarling. It snaps at Jisung’s hand, but Jisung doesn’t flinch. Instead he continues to stare directly at it. 

He turns his hand over, so his palm is facing up. 

Seeing it’s empty, the obobo tentatively moves forward to sniff Jisung’s palm. 

Then it licks Jisung’s palm then places its snout on it. 

Jisung breaks into a wide grin. “There you go, buddy! I won’t hurt you.” 

He turns his hand, patting the obobo’s head. The obobo smiles with its eyes, closing them. It pushes into Jisung’s hand as he ruffles its fur. 

“Okay, buddy, I’m gonna break you out.” Jisung says slowly, making eye contact with the obobo. Its eyes are no longer full of fear, but curiosity, as Jisung brings his hand back from the cage and closes his eyes. 

Jeno watches, curious. What is he trying to do? 

Jisung’s brows crease in concentration, his lips drawn to a concentrated pout. 

Then, after about three minutes, Jeno hears the telltale click of the lock. The cage door swings open. 

“No fucking way,” Donghyuck says lowly, while Jisung pumps a fist in the air and Chenle lets out a woop. 

“Jisung Park!” Jeno shouts. “What the fuck, dude?” He heads back to Jisung, only for him to put his hand out. 

“I’ve been trying to get better at wandless magic ever since we broke you out. It was easier because my wand was right there, and I’ve only succeeded with  _ alohomora,” _ he says with a cheeky grin. 

He turns back to the obobo, gently coaxing it out of the cage. 

“Everyone put your wands away,” Chenle orders, placing his and Jisung’s in the small pocket of Jisung’s backpack. Jeno and Donghyuck both pocket their wands. 

Slowly, the obobo steps forward, poking his snout into the air and sniffing. It bounds out of the cage happily. It runs up to Chenle first, sniffing him and then licking his face. Then it runs over to Jeno and Donghyuck, sniffing each of their hands and licking them too. 

“I think we might be at its home.” Jisung looks around at the scenery. Jeno raises an eyebrow at him. 

“I took us to Utah. I looked in an atlas before we left, and memorized the picture of a forest in Utah. It seemed so happy after sniffing the air, I think we brought it home.” 

The obobo is still bounding around the woods, staying in the perimeter of the spells. It goes to the edge and begins to cry. 

“Jisung, is this obobo a baby?” Jeno asks. 

Jisung nods. “Most obobos are much larger, this one is tiny in comparison.”

“Donghyuck, take down the  _ muffliato  _ charm,” Chenle orders, whipping some branches into a crutch and pushing himself to a standing position. Immediately, Jisung rushes over, letting Chenle throw his other arm around his shoulders. 

“Why?” Donghyuck asks, confused. 

“I think our obobo is trying to find its mother.” 

“Don’t we not want that to happen? I don’t want to get attacked.” 

“Yeah, except keeping it trapped in here is cruel,” Chenle says sternly, leaning on Jisung. 

“Jisung, go stand next to it, you’re the obobo whisperer.” 

Reluctantly, Jisung slips out from under Chenle’s arm, only walking away once Jeno takes his place. 

Jisung goes and sits criss-cross applesauce next to the obobo, which promptly turns and licks Jisung’s face happily, causing Jisung to laugh. 

“Hey, buddy.” Jisung raises a hand, bringing it up to pet the obobo’s curly fur. 

Donghyuck raises his wand, and removes the protective spells, unable to only remove one. 

Within seconds, men drop from the trees around them, five men in black, ninja-like suits. 

“Jisung! I’ve got Chenle, you focus on the obobo,” Jeno shouts, knowing exactly what would happen if he didn’t say so. 

Jisung nods, gulping. 

Jeno tightens his hold on Chenle, watching as the men draw closer. He and Donghyuck are the only one with wands. Chenle’s and Jisung’s are both in the bag. Fuck. Donghyuck runs over to Jisung, standing on the other side of the obobo, which has crawled into Jisung’s lap, scared. Jisung protectively wraps his arms around the obobo. The obobo cries louder, more fearfully. 

The masked men raise their wands, and Jeno braces himself. He can see Jisung is shaking, and the poor boy is probably terrified. 

There are five men. Jeno gulps. He really isn’t sure how they’re getting out of this. It would be two on five, except he and Donghyuck are heavily burdened. 

Jisung buries his face in the obobo’s fur, holding the animal tightly. 

The men closest to Jeno begin firing spells at him. Jeno deflects the first spell, and the second. He quickly lowers Chenle to the ground, telling him to get behind him. Chenle does as he says. 

Just after, a large flame flies past Jeno, lighting the bottom half of his shirt on fire and sending searing pain shooting through his midsection. He yelps, quickly patting out the fire. The damage has been done, though; he has a long burn across his stomach. He winces. He’ll have to fix that later. 

“Jisung!” Chenle shouts, and Jeno watches as a spell barely grazes Jisung’s cheek, just missing his head. Yikes. 

Jeno throws a stunning spell, knocking out one of the men. Four to go. He hears Donghyuck shout, and turns to see Donghyuck on the ground, unconscious. Fuck. 

The obobo cries louder, practically screaming. Jeno gulps. He quickly thrusts a protective spell around Jisung and the obobo before going back and deflecting four spells at once, barely protecting himself and Chenle. He’s not sure how much longer he’s going to last. 

Then he hears it. An angry, spine-tingling roar. Something comes crashing through the trees, roaring at the top of its lungs. The men immediately flee, disappearing out of sight. 

A large, very, very large, bearlike creature steps into the clearing. It’s the size of about three Jaemins, and has large, five inch claws, and sharp, bared teeth. It has the obobo’s black and brown fur, and sharp, piercing yellow eyes. 

Jeno’s jaw drops. The momma obobo. He watches as the large obobo walks over to a frozen Jisung, sniffling his face before licking his wound. Jeno watches in awe as the wound magically heals. He didn’t know obobo saliva had healing properties. 

“Thank you for saving us,” Jisung says to it, bowing his head. 

The baby obobo leaps out of Jisung’s lap, running up to its mother and cuddling up against her leg. 

Jeno walks down next to Jisung, shoe in hand. 

“Can you help us?” He holds the shoe out. The obobo sniffs it, then sniffs at the ground, and gestures with its head the direction it needs to go. 

Jeno helps Jisung to his feet, bringing Donghyuck back and handing Jisung his wand. 

He helps Chenle clamber onto the obobo’s back, which luckily doesn’t mind the added weight. 

Gripping his backpack straps in his hand, Jisung turns to face the rest of his friends. 

“Let’s find Jaemin and Renjun.”


	12. 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung has decided he hates the American west. 
> 
> It’s hot, dry, and miserable. 

Jisung has decided he hates the American west. 

It’s hot, dry, and miserable. 

As it turns out, the adult obobo moves very fast, and while Chenle rests on its back, the rest of them end up having to hop on broomsticks in order to keep up. Jeno, having actual brain cells, brought four of Jaemin’s old brooms. 

It’s probably also a convenience that Jaemin has gone through so many brooms. Jisung’s really not sure how, but he doesn’t question it. Jaemin’s been a hardcore player since he was a kid, one of the best chasers the school had seen in years. 

It also helped that Jaemin’s parents could afford to get him every new broom. 

Their travels are rather peaceful for the first couple days. After the first day, they pass a sign welcoming them to Nevada. Weird name. 

Nevada is dry, like, really fucking dry. They end up relying on magic for water, and break more often than before, resting at night as well. 

The nights are cold, even with a fire lit. 

They make it to California on the fifth day of travel. By then, Jeno’s burn has reduced to a scar thanks to continual application of potions. Chenle is able to walk, albeit not far. But it’s a start. 

Jisung yawns on his broom, taking a hand off to rub at his eyes. 

They’re walking along the forests’ edge, and it’s late. The sun is to set in an hour. 

Chenle is asleep on the obobo’s fur, face squished cutely against its back. The baby obobo has grown a lot in the week they’ve been on the road. It now reaches Jisung’s waist, as opposed to up to his knee. 

Jisung feels himself drifting off, eyes slowly closing. 

But then he hears a large snap. A net flies out from the forest, pinning the obobos and Chenle to the ground. 

Chenle is awake in a second, pushing himself off the obobo’s back and falling to the ground. 

The mother obobo roars, gnawing at the ropes while the baby obobo whimpers, cuddling up to its mother. The mother obobo is on her side, pressed into the ground by the ropes. Chenle has scooted as far away from the angry creature as possible, and Jisung can see fear in his gaze. 

Jisung is on the ground in an instant, dropping to his knees next to Chenle. His hands are already shaking. He’s beginning to lose control of his breathing. Jeno and Donghyuck land on either side of him, casting various spells at the iron ropes. 

“Jisungie.” Chenle slips a hand through the webbed netting, placing it on Jisung’s cheek. 

“You need to relax. I swear on both of our lives that we’ll be okay. Take a deep breath.” 

Jisung closes his eyes, leaning into Chenle’s hand. 

He opens his mouth to reply, but before he can utter a sound, cloth fills his mouth. More ropes wrap around his wrists, pulling his hands behind his back. The force of it knocks him backwards. 

“Jisung!” Chenle shrieks. 

Jisung looks to his right and left, only to find that Jeno and Donghyuck have received the same fate. He tries to reach his wand in his back pocket, but a foot steps down on his wrists. 

Jisung looks up. He’s met with dark brown eyes that look eerily familiar. It’s probably just the heat. 

Jisung hears a chuckle to his left. He turns to see the wizard next to Jeno leaning over him. “This is the one who escaped from Azkaban. How’d you do that, darling?” 

Jeno looks like he’s about to throw up, more pale than usual. To his right, Donghyuck is being yanked to his feet. There are five other wizards, bringing the total to eight. 

The wizard who pulls Jisung up is much larger than Jisung, with broad shoulders. He’s also half a head taller than Jisung, something rare considering Jisung is by far the tallest in their group. 

“Move it,” he growls, shoving Jisung forward. The net that had been holding down Chenle and the obobos was lifted. The three are being dragged along the forest floor. 

Jisung’s heart thumps in his chest as he tries his best not to panic. He closes his eyes, deeply inhaling through his nose and slowly exhaling. 

Chenle promised they’d be okay. So they will. 

Jisung opens his eyes just in time to avoid tripping over a root. The large wizard behind him grips Jisung’s wrist tightly. 

The man hasn’t taken his wand. Jisung’s not sure why they would make such a fatal error. 

Jisung closes his eyes again, stumbling on the forest floor, and concentrates on creating the magic from his wand. He points his wand towards the man. 

But the man notices. Jisung is thrown to the ground. 

He yanks Jisung’s wand from his grip, shoving it in his pocket. He brandishes his own wand and waves it across Jisung’s chest, slicing right below his ribcage. 

Jisung screams into the gag, curling in on himself. It’s short-lived, as the man pulls him up again, forcing him to walk forward. 

Jisung can do nothing but continue moving, watching as his blood drops onto the forest floor. 

The men take them to some sort of campsite. There are various tents set up around a fire. However, that’s not what’s jarring. Chills travel down his spine as he sees various cages around the campsite. Jisung recognizes jobberknolls, a bird that has valuable feathers, used in memory potions and truth serums. He also recognizes mooncalves and re’ems. There are countless other creatures Jisung has never seen before. 

Jisung can’t look away from the creatures. They’re making various sounds of anguish, crying and tweeting alike, and Jisung can see pain in all their eyes. Each time an animal cries, one of the wizards will cast a curse at it, causing it to scream in pain and back into the corner of the cage. 

Jisung is roughly shoved to a tree at the perimeter of the camp. His kidnapper wraps one rope around his chest and one around his waist, effectively pinning him to the tree. He’s grateful there’s no ropes digging into the cut on his stomach. When he attempts to tug free, he is met with a wand to his throat, and a warning glare. 

He looks to his side, Jeno is tied up next to him. There’s a new cut on his cheek, and his glasses are crooked on his nose. Next to him is Donghyuck, who’s sporting a brand-new black eye. Jisung searches for Chenle only to see he’s still in the net with the obobo. He’s relieved to see the obobo is protecting Chenle just as she’s protecting her young, both of them tucked into her body.

One of the wizards yanks off Jeno’s gag, leaving Jeno panting. Both of the men by Donghyuck and Jisung remove theirs as well. 

“Where did you find the obobo?” The man asks, brandishing his wand. 

Jeno doesn’t say a word, instead just glaring at the man. Jisung marvels at his strength. 

The man slaps him, hard, right on the cut on his cheek. If it hurts, Jeno doesn’t show it. 

“I said,” the man hisses, “where did you find the obobo?” 

Jeno doesn’t say a word, spitting in the ugly man’s face. Jisung watches as the captor’s face turns dark red with anger. Fear shoots down his spine. 

“Listen up, boy,” he says slowly, “you either talk, or I’ll test out my new wand by using the Cruciatus Curse on your little friends, got it?” He points his wand at Jisung. 

Jisung’s blood runs cold and his heart rate spikes. Panic begins to cloud his mind. Not again. Not again. 

“We found the young one in London,” Jeno says quickly. The man lowers his wand. Jisung is able to relax. 

“We arrived in Utah and the young found its mother.” 

“And what were you doing in Utah?” He questions. 

“I can’t tell you that.”

_ Smack! _

The man slaps Jeno again, before raising his wand and pointing it at Jisung. 

“I said, what were you doing in Utah?” 

“We were fleeing the country,” Jeno stares directly at the man. 

The man squints at him, but places his wand back in his pocket. 

“Don’t try any funny business.” He walks away from them, leaving the three boys on their own. 

“What the fuck are we supposed to do?” Jisung cries, exasperated. 

“We’ll be okay, Jisungie,” Jeno reassures, even though Jisung knows for a fact Jeno can’t guarantee anything. 

But then, Jeno’s bindings drop to the ground and Huang Renjun steps out from behind the tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :OOOO  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	13. 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Renjun hyung?” 
> 
> “Hey, Sungie,” he says softly. Tears well in Jisung's eyes. 
> 
> “Hey, bitch, untie me too,” Donghyuck calls, a grin on his face. Renjun rolls his eyes. 
> 
> “Okay, dipshit.” Renjun waves his wand, and Donghyuck’s binds fall to the ground. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Panic attacks   
> Starting at: "But what he sees when he rises from the ground makes his blood run cold."

Jisung’s jaw drops. 

Renjun smirks at him, walking over to slice Jisung’s bonds as well.

“Renjun hyung?” 

“Hey, Sungie,” he says softly. Tears well in Jisung's eyes. 

“Hey, bitch, untie me too,” Donghyuck calls, a grin on his face. Renjun rolls his eyes. 

“Okay, dipshit.” Renjun waves his wand, and Donghyuck’s binds fall to the ground. 

Jisung hears yelling from the center of the camp. He turns to see two of the three men who had been attempting to get the obobos from the net are now unconscious on the forest floor. 

_ “Crucio!” _ The third man cries, pointing his wand at the sky. The man is hit with a red spell, and he drops to the ground as well. 

A figure drops from the sky, slowing himself down with a cushioning spell, and lands in a superhero pose. 

Na Jaemin stands straight, brushing hair out of his face. He waves to Jisung and the rest before turning back to the net, levitating the ends in an effort to unfold it. 

“Come on!” Renjun says, waving them forward. 

Except after only a couple feet they’re stopped by three wizards.

Renjun disarms the first one with ease, catching his wand and tossing it to Jeno. Jeno ends up dueling the second. Jisung looks around him, knowing one of these men has his wand. He spots it in the pocket of the first man. 

“Renjun hyung! He has my wand!” Jisung calls. Renjun immediately stuns the man, tossing Jisung’s wand to him. 

Jisung races forward. Jaemin has successfully freed the obobos and Chenle, but now the pair are forced to duel two new wizards. Chenle and Jaemin both seem to be handling themselves well, but Jisung needs to get to Chenle. 

He runs into a wall, falling backwards only to look up and realize he didn’t actually run into a wall, but the man from before who dragged him through the forest. 

The man’s brown eyes are piercing, staring down at him in disbelief. Jisung isn’t sure why he seems to be in disbelief, but he pushes himself up anyways. 

_ “Expelliarmus!” _ Jisung cries, at the same time that the other man shouts  _ “Crucio!” _

Their spells meet in the middle. Jisung grips his want tightly, willing it not to lose. After a couple seconds, the other man yanks his wand away, breaking the stream. 

_ “Stupefy!” _ A red beam shoots from Jisung’s wand, hitting the other wizard’s yellow spell, which Jisung is guessing is Reducto. 

This time Jisung breaks the stream, pointing his wand downwards. 

_ “Diffindo!” _ Jisung points his wand again, just as his opponent shouts the Cruciatus Curse again. But he’s a second too late. The spells collide closer to Jisung. He stumbles backwards, losing his balance. The spell hits Jisung in the chest. 

Searing, red-hot pain travels through every inch of Jisung’s body, as if someone is stabbing him with molten knives on every surface of his being. The scream that leaves Jisung’s mouth is almost inhumane. It’s the worst pain Jisung has ever felt. This wizard is stronger than the one at the prison. 

Within seconds, the pain is gone, leaving Jisung on the ground. He gasps for breath. Renjun has interrupted their duel, stepping in front of Jisung and throwing quick spells at the other man, forcing him to flee. The man disapparates away. 

Renjun turns to him, reaching out a hand. Jisung takes it, shakily rising to his feet. His body aches. But he didn’t have to endure it as long as last time, and he needs to make sure Chenle is safe, so he gets up. 

But what he sees when he rises from the ground makes his blood run cold. 

Chenle has been knocked to the ground. Jisung hears the dreaded words uttered by his opponent. Chenle’s going to die. 

Jisung screams, panic coursing through him. His eyes are screwed shut. He drops to his knees. He can’t breathe. Chenle is dead, he can’t breathe. It feels like his lungs are closing up and he digs his nails into his hands. 

“Jisung! Jisung, he’s alright,” a voice says from above him, but he just shakes his head. Nothing is alright. He just watched Chenle die. He can’t breathe. He heard the incantation. 

“Jisung!” Jisung’s breathing only gets more ragged, more desperate. He needs air in his lungs but he can’t get it. It feels like his entire world is crashing down. All he can feel is panic. It feels like he’s dying. Maybe he is dying. 

“Jiji,” a soft voice says from above him. Jisung shakes his head. He’s dead. He’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead. How can Jisung be hearing him when he’s dead? 

“Honey, you’re gonna pass out if you don’t breathe.” A warm hand lands on his shoulder. 

Jisung just shakes his head again. 

“Baby, look at me.” Fingers press against his chin, tilting his head up. 

Jisung opens his eyes on reflex and finds himself staring into Chenle’s dark ones. 

“I’m alive, you saved me, I’m okay,” Chenle says. Jisung just blinks at him, breathing still ragged. Chenle takes Jisung’s hands. He forces open Jisung’s fists and slips his hands into them instead. 

“What,” he pants. 

“You need to breathe, Jisungie. I’m going to breathe, and I want you to match it.” 

Chenle takes a deep breath in, then exhales. Jisung follows. He struggles at first, but after a couple minutes he’s able to match Chenle’s breathing. 

“There you go, Jisungie.” Chenle smiles at him gently. 

“I don’t understand.” Jisung feels tears welling in his eyes. “How are you alive? I heard him cast the spell. I heard it.” Tears drip down Jisung’s cheeks. 

“Jisungie, do you mean you didn’t mean to cast that lightning?” Jaemin comes up next to Chenle, squatting on the ground. 

“What lightning?” Jisung asks. 

“We all thought it was over, but then an incredible arc of lightning shot from your wand. It landed between the spell and Chenle just in time,” Jeno says, resting a hand on Jaemin’s shoulder. His glasses are fixed, and his other hand is in Renjun’s. 

“What?” Jisung is so confused. 

“White lightning flew from your wand. It absorbed the Killing Curse and saved Chenle’s life.” 

“Thank you, Jisungie.” Chenle leans forward, pressing a gentle kiss to Jisung’s cheek. He reaches up and wipes Jisung’s tears.

Jisung’s face flushes. 

Chenle helps him stand up after that. They split up with tasks. All of the enemy wizards have disapparated or are knocked out, so they’re able to relax. 

Jeno helps heal the wound just under Jisung’s stomach as well as Donghyuck’s black eye. Meanwhile, Renjun, Jaemin, and Chenle head over to the animal cages, unlocking them and freeing them back into the wilderness. 

The young obobo approaches Jisung, giving him one last lick on the face, before walking away with its mother. Jisung would be lying if he said he wasn’t overly emotional, and lying even more if he said he didn’t cry a little bit. He did, he's gonna miss that little guy. 

Jisung can’t help but feel emotional again after Renjun, Jaemin, and Chenle walk back over to them. 

Jisung looks around at all of his friends and promptly bursts into tears. 

“Jisungie? Honey, what’s wrong?” Chenle asks, rushing forward to pull Jisung into a hug. 

“I found you all,” he chokes out. Renjun coos quietly, walking forward and placing a hand in Jisung’s hair. The rest of the boys follow, squishing Jisung in a large group hug. 

When they let go, Jisung’s tears have stopped. 

“We’re so glad you found us, Jisungie,” Jaemin says, reaching to gently wipe Jisung’s tears with the pads of his thumbs. 

Jaemin goes back to stand next to Jeno, resting his head on his shoulder. Jeno looks the happiest Jisung has seen in a long time. 

They all look happy. Jisung feels happy. 

“But we should get out of here,” Jaemin says, looking around. 

“We have a place we can stay, and Donghyuck,” he turns to the other boy. “There’s someone you need to meet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohoho who are they going to see?   
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	14. 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck perks up when they land in front of Johnny Seo’s house after disapparating. 
> 
> “Johnny hyung has been letting us stay with him,” Renjun says, motioning to the house. Despite having arrived, his hand still remains clasped in Jeno’s. 
> 
> Donghyuck walks up to knock on the door, the rest of them following him. 
> 
> The door opens, and everyone except Renjun and Jaemin freezes. 

Donghyuck perks up when they land in front of Johnny Seo’s house after disapparating. 

“Johnny hyung has been letting us stay with him,” Renjun says, motioning to the house. Despite having arrived, his hand still remains clasped in Jeno’s. 

Donghyuck walks up to knock on the door, the rest of them following him. 

The door opens, and everyone except Renjun and Jaemin freezes. 

Mark Lee is standing in the doorway, a surprised look on his face, eyes blown wide and mouth in a small ‘o’ shape. 

“Donghyuck! Uh, what are you doing here?” 

Donghyuck seems to unfreeze at Mark’s voice, the shock written over his face turning into outrage. 

“MARK LEE WHAT THE FUCK!” Donghyuck shouts. Next to Jisung, Chenle covers his ears. 

“I thought you were DEAD, we ALL thought you were FUCKING DEAD, AND YOU’VE JUST BEEN HERE THE ENTIRE FUCKING TIME?” Donghyuck shrieks, voice hysterical. There are tears dripping down his face. 

“I can explain, Hyuckie,” Mark tries to interrupt. 

“You don’t, you can’t, don’t call me that. I don’t fucking. I thought you were dead. I thought I lost you, I thought I lost a part of myself, we had a fucking funeral. For months, I’ve been mourning you.” He pounds his fists on Mark’s chest. 

Mark seems frozen in place, and for a brief moment Jisung is worried he might pass out. 

But Mark just smiles softly. He reaches out to Donghyuck, placing a hand on his cheek. Donghyuck’s flying fists slow. Instead his hands rest, palm down, on Mark’s chest. 

“I can’t live without you, Mark, it’s been too hard,” Donghyuck cries. Mark pulls him into a hug as Donghyuck dissolves into sobs. Mark rocks them back and forth, rubbing his back. 

“I’m okay, Duckie, I’m okay, and so are you.” He presses a kiss to Donghyuck’s hair. 

“Let’s go inside,” Mark says to the rest of the group. Arm around Donghyuck, he continues to shush him quietly, bringing them inside. 

Jisung turns to Chenle, tears in his eyes. 

“What the fuck just happened? He’s alive?” 

Chenle nods, pulling Jisung down and into a hug. 

“He’s alive.” 

* * *

They all end up in Johnny’s living room. Chenle and Jisung are squished together on the love seat. Donghyuck is curled up into Mark on the small couch, and Jeno is squished between Renjun and Jaemin on the big couch. Johnny kindly brings them all tea. 

Jisung’s heart swells, they’re finally all together again. 

Chenle wipes the tear that drips down his cheek. 

“You’re such a sap,” Chenle murmurs, kissing Jisung’s cheek.

Mark clears his throat, adjusting his glasses. 

“So, uh, I am alive.” 

“Yeah, thanks for letting us know,” Donghyuck grumbles, snuggling further into his side. 

“Duckie, please, I’ll explai—”

“Do you know how hard it’s been to spend full moons without you? And since I’ve stopped getting my potion?” Tears well up in Donghyuck’s eyes again as he pushes himself up to face Mark. 

“Donghyuck, it’s okay now,” Renjun says softly. Donghyuck sniffles, and cuddles back into Mark’s side. 

Mark smiles fondly, pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

“I should have been dead,” Mark starts. A chill goes down Jisung’s spine. 

“A Death Eater had cornered me. I didn’t have my wand. But instead of killing me, he raised his mask and told me if I left, permanently, he would spare my life.” Mark sighs. “I didn’t want to, I wanted to fight back, but I knew that if I took his offer, it would leave me with some chance to see you again. I never wanted to leave you guys, ever, but I didn’t have a choice.” 

Jisung slumps back in his seat. It’s a lot to take in. Mark should be dead. For months, they thought that Mark was dead. Jisung can still remember when he was told that Mark was dead. 

And yet here he is, sitting right in front of him, smiling and breathing and holding Donghyuck all the same. Just as if he never left. 

It doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t even feel possible. Mark’s  _ alive.  _

“But it seems like I’ve missed a lot. Jeno, when did you grow a ponytail?” 

Jeno lets out a barking laugh. “In prison.” 

Mark spits out his drink, while Jaemin gasps quietly and Renjun’s eyes widen in shock. 

“Nono, what?” Jaemin touches his arm gently.

“They got me in November. That’s where I’ve been, until those 3 idiots,” he points to Jisung and Chenle, then Donghyuck, “broke me out.” 

“No fucking way, you broke into Azkaban?” 

The three exchange a look. 

“It was a whole lot uglier than that,” Donghyuck mutters. “Things,” Donghyuck looks nervously at Jisung, “didn’t go to plan.”

Jisung shakes his head, turning to bury his face in Chenle’s shoulders. 

“After getting Jeno, Chenle and Jeno had to come break Jisung and I out.” 

“Oh?” Mark inquires. “What happened?”

Jisung’s breath picks up just thinking about it. And Chenle notices, too.

“You can update them later,” Chenle orders, cutting Donghyuck off before he can say another word. He wordlessly slips his hand into Jisung’s and squeezes, hard. 

“Well, Jen, I think the ponytail suits you,” Mark changes the subject with ease. Jeno smiles his dazzling smile, eyes turning into small crescents. 

“Thanks, hyung.” 

“I like it, too,” Renjun murmurs, flipping it back and forth. 

Next to Jisung, Chenle pretends to throw up. 

Renjun makes an ugly face at Chenle, to which Chenle sticks his tongue out. 

In retaliation, Renjun puts his hand on Jeno’s cheek, and brings him in for a kiss. Jeno, albeit surprised, responds happily. 

After a couple seconds, Mark clears his throat. Chenle gags.

“What else did I miss?” 

“Oh!” Chenle perks up. 

“Okay SO.” He moves to sit up straight. “First, I was trapped in my house since January, BUT THEN Jisung broke me out and we went back to your place,” he gestures to Jeno, Renjun and Jaemin, “and then Donghyuck sent us a letter saying he had a lead on Jeno.” 

He takes a breath.

“However, we had to make sure, so we broke into the ministry!!” Chenle says excitedly, beaming. 

Mark’s mouth drops. 

“Okay, so let me get this straight.” He points a finger at Jisung. “You broke into Chenle’s house, and the ministry,  _ and  _ Azkaban?”

Jisung nods, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“Oh and! And Mark hyung! Jisung can do wandless magic! And lots of crazy nonverbal stuff, he’s been practicing a lot.” 

Jisung feels his entire face flush dark red. “Lele.” He shoves his boyfriend. Chenle just laughs, with his loud, dolphin laugh. 

“Jisungie, that’s incredible,” Mark says in awe. 

“He saved my life earlier by nonverbally shooting lightning and intercepting the killing curse some dude shot at me.” 

Mark’s eyes seem to bug out of his head as he stares at Jisung. Jisung laughs nervously. “I didn’t mean to do it.” 

“Amazing.” 

Renjun clears this throat. 

“So, Jisung,” Renjun says, staring at him with a piercing gaze.

“Want to help us break into somewhere else?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mark <3  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	15. 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung gets the best sleep he’s had in months, curled up on the couch next to Chenle, the rest of his family in the room with him. 
> 
> They decided to rest for a day first, taking the rest of the evening off. They caught up, watched a movie, hung out with Johnny, had a very big dinner, and then all dozed off in the living room together, waking up under blankets that Johnny had slung over them in the night. 
> 
> Today, however, it's go time.

“We’ve been tracking this gang.”

“Renjun found out about them in London, and told me immediately,” Jaemin says, leaning on his knees. 

“He sent a letter to you,” he nods towards Jisung, “but it was intercepted, and we were forced to flee the country. For all of our safety, we cut off contact with you. We didn’t want to get you involved while you were still in school.” 

“I found out about it because it was within my department at the Ministry,” Renjun continues. “The gang runs a black market, and our little run-in earlier was with poachers working for that gang.” 

“The Black Phoenix.” 

“Wait, so let me get this straight,” Jeno cuts him off. “You found out about a wizard gang, so you fled the country, and now you’re just here?” 

Renjun nods. “They have branches all over the place.” 

“Originally we went to New York,” Jaemin says. “It’s a large city, so we figured we’d be safe.” 

“There we learned that the gang was in the States, too, and their headquarters is in California. We knew Johnny was living here, so we figured we’d stay with him. He doesn’t mind, luckily.” 

“We also found Mark here, who agreed to join us. Johnny elected not to, but he gives up information he finds.” 

“So, what’s the goal?” Jisung straightens. “You know about this gang, you know they have a creature black market, and their headquarters are here.” 

“We want to take them down.” Renjun’s gaze is intense. 

“How on Earth are we supposed to do that?” Donghyuck asks incredulously. “There are seven of us, and Merlin knows how many of them. And don’t forget, half of us have a price on our heads.” 

Renjun sighs. “I know, it’s a lot, it really is. But the American Wizarding Ministry is still intact, and they have a rather strong police force.” 

“Can we really trust the police, though? One of the Azkaban guards was a werewolf hunter, who knows which police could be a part of the Black Phoenix,” Jeno argues. 

“What if we exposed them?” Chenle suggests. “Or if we take down the boss, we could leave the gang helpless.” 

“In the end, hopefully,” Jaemin exchanges a look with Renjun. “For now, we’ve just been trying to take out their poaching camps. It’s easy when you have surprise on your side.” 

“However,” Renjun’s expression darkens. “We think we’re being tracked. Nine times out of ten, they seem to know we’re coming.”

“Then we’ll cover our steps, only use non-traceable forms of magic,” Jisung says. 

Renjun sighs. “We don’t have any. Jaemin didn’t have time to grab any of his broomsticks.” 

Jeno smirks. “Well, luckily for you two, you have the smartest boyfriend in the world.” Jeno plops his bag down and dramatically whips out four broomsticks. 

Jaemin’s eyes light up at the sight of his old brooms, and for a brief second Jisung thinks that he might cry. Instead, he just tenderly reaches out to pick up the Nimbus 2001, turning it over in his hands. 

“Jeno, I love you.” He turns to give him a kiss. 

Jeno simply smiles. 

“So there’s our plan. We’ll use brooms.”

* * *

Jisung gets the best sleep he’s had in months, curled up on the couch next to Chenle, the rest of his family in the room with him. 

They decided to rest for a day first, taking the rest of the evening off. They caught up, watched a movie, hung out with Johnny, had a very big dinner, and then all dozed off in the living room together, waking up under blankets that Johnny had slung over them in the night. 

Jisung is considerably less nervous than all the other times they had gone out and done moderately dangerous and crazy things. He’s pretty sure it’s because this time, he’s surrounded by his friends. 

They clamber on their brooms around eleven, after Johnny made them a large brunch. He stuffed them all full of food, claiming they needed the energy if they were gonna be breaking out a bunch of magical creatures. 

None of them argued. 

It takes about two hours of flying before Renjun waves them up into the trees. They land on the large, redwood branches. Jeno collects the brooms, placing them in his bag as they all sit on the tree. 

Below them sits the camp. It looks almost identical to the previous one, with a couple tents, and plenty of large, metal cages. 

Jisung surveys the cages. Many of the animals are the same as last time. But then he sees it. Sitting in the largest of the cages, head on its paws, lies a manticore. 

Jisung’s blood runs cold. Manticores are dangerous, very dangerous. They’re Class V on the Ministry’s magical beasts rating. A manticore could kill him in one fell swoop. 

Chenle slips his hand into Jisung’s, squeezing. 

“On five, knock one of them out with your spells,” Renjun whispers. But before they can even count to three, there’s a shout. The branch they’re all sitting on breaks from the tree with a loud crack. 

Jisung can’t help the shout that escapes him as they plummet. 

_ “Molliare!” _ Renjun shouts, cushioning their fall. 

Within seconds they’re surrounded. Jisung grips his wand tightly.

Battle breaks out even quicker, spells flying all over the place. 

Jisung is quick to best the wizard in front of him, disarming then petrifying him. 

He races over to the creatures and releases them from their cages, starting with the smaller ones. 

They had discussed what the plan would be prior to arriving, and Jisung’s job was explicitly to release the animals. Chenle was to help him, but he’s busy in a duel. As much as Jisung aches to help his boyfriend, he has to remind himself that Chenle’s a perfectly capable wizard, and Jisung has a job. 

So he continues to unlock the cages. 

Things go smoothly until he reaches the manticore. 

There is a man to the right of the manticore’s cage, wand in hand. Jisung briefly looks around to see the rest of the gang members are either defeated or close to it. Behind him stand Jaemin, Chenle, and Mark. 

Before Jisung has a chance to fire a spell at the man, the man waves his wand. The cage unlocks. 

Jisung realizes his mistake two seconds too late. Manticores aren’t native to this part of the country. 

And they are very loyal creatures.

Jisung isn’t even sure how a wizard managed to domesticate a manticore. Considering their incredibly violent nature and their Ministry of Magic classification of V; they’re regarded as impossible to train or domesticate. 

Jisung really has no fucking idea, and frankly, he doesn’t care. 

They need to get out of there, now. 

“Everyone run! Disapparate!” Jisung yells, scurrying backwards. He makes it about five feet before tripping on a root, falling backwards onto the ground. His wand skids out of reach. 

Mark is in front of him in a heartbeat, casting spells at the beast. It roars loudly. Fear shoots through Jisung’s veins. 

He scrambles to grab his wand and goes to fight with Mark only to be pushed back. 

“Jisung, go.” Mark shoos him away. 

“But, hyung, you can’t take it alone, I need to help,” Jisung cries. A smaller hand grips his wrist to pull him away. 

“Jisung, you’re stronger than I am, you’re much more important,” Mark shouts, stumbling backwards as the manticore takes a swipe with his claws. 

  
“Mark hyung!” Jisung yells. He tries to pull away from whoever’s holding him, only to be met with a loud  _ crack _ and a sudden change of scenery, as Jisung finds himself back in Johnny Seo’s living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nooo mark  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	16. 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny pulls away, ruffling their hair. “I’m going to go make us some lunch, you boys go wash up and get comfy, okay?” 
> 
> Jisung is incredibly grateful to Johnny. He not only housed them, but has graciously been making them food, supporting them in their endeavors, and being like an older brother to all of them. He’s been so kind and understanding. 
> 
> “Thank you, hyung,” Jisung says. 
> 
> “No problem, kid.”

“What happened? Where’s Mark?” Renjun demands. He’s standing next to Chenle. Next to them are Jaemin and Jeno. 

Donghyuck, who had grabbed Jisung, simply shakes his head. 

“The manticore was a pet,” Jisung says, tone sour. He grips his hair hard. “It was a trap. They knew we were coming, they planned it.” He laughs bitterly. 

“What?” Johnny asks, appearing in the doorway. 

Jisung lets his hands drop to his side. “I’m so sorry, hyung.” 

The look on Johnny’s face is crushing, much like the one Jisung is sure is on his own. Jisung braces himself for yelling, or crying, or any anger or disappointment Johnny might have. 

Instead, Johnny holds his arms out, allowing Jisung and Donghyuck to fall into them. 

“You did your best,” Johnny says quietly. 

“I’m sure Mark is okay. They probably wouldn’t have killed him, only taken him hostage.” 

Jisung just nods. He feels blank. He failed. For once he doesn’t cry. Donghyuck, on the other hand, looks distraught, tears dripping down his face. 

After all this work. And Jisung finally finds everyone, only to lose Mark just one day later. 

He feels like a failure. 

Johnny pulls away, ruffling their hair. “I’m going to go make us some lunch, you boys go wash up and get comfy, okay?” 

Jisung is incredibly grateful to Johnny. He not only housed them, but has graciously been making them food, supporting them in their endeavors, and being like an older brother to all of them. He’s been so kind and understanding. 

“Thank you, hyung,” Jisung says. 

“No problem, kid.” 

* * *

Jisung is pretty sure Donghyuck is trying to drown himself in the shower. 

They’re all huddled on the couches. Jisung is snuggled up to Chenle’s side, while Jaemin is on his other side. Jeno is holding Renjun. There’s a space in the middle of the couch for Donghyuck, except Donghyuck has been in the shower for 45 minutes. 

“Give him time, he just lost Mark again.” Johnny brings in a tray of sandwiches. 

“We’re going to find him, he’s going to be okay,” Johnny reassures them. 

A couple minutes after Johnny has passed out sandwiches, Donghyuck tumbles down the stairs. His eyes are puffy and rimmed with red. He’s wearing a t-shirt that hangs off his shoulders, and Jisung’s heart breaks when he realizes it’s Mark’s. 

Johnny turns, opening his arms when he sees the tearful boy. Donghyuck barrels into his arms, immediately bursting into tears. 

Johnny smiles sadly, rubbing Donghyuck’s back. 

“He’s okay, I promise.” 

A chill runs down Jisung’s spine. He shakes it off. 

Donghyuck eventually pulls away, sniffling. He walks over to the couch, taking his place next to Jeno and Jaemin. Jaemin opens his arms, and Donghyuck immediately climbs into them, resting his head on Jaemin’s chest and curling up in his lap. 

“So boys, now what?” Johnny asks, pulling a chair up across the couch and taking a seat. 

Renjun raises an eyebrow. “You say that like you’re going to join us.” 

“Well,” Johnny says, “now that my little brother’s in danger, we need to get him back.” 

There’s an unreadable glint in Johnny’s eyes. 

“We were planning to infiltrate their group,” Jaemin says, holding Donghyuck’s hands. “We know where their base is, Renjun and I tracked it down last month.” 

Johnny nods. “How will you go about it?” 

“We haven’t worked out the details yet,” Jisung says, before anyone else can speak. “We’ll likely come up with them in the next couple of days.” 

Johnny nods, picking up the tray and leaving. 

“Jisung, what was that?” Renjun hisses after Johnny is out of earshot. 

Jisung shifts uncomfortably. “Something just felt off,” he says, truthfully. 

Renjun looks skeptical, but doesn’t question him. 

“I think I have an idea,” Renjun says. “We do a raid, take their outfits, then use them to sneak in. We won’t be able to free the creatures at the time, but once we put an end to this we’ll be able to set them all free.” 

“Good point,” Jeno comments. 

“And we break out Mark,” Donghyuck mutters. 

Renjun nods. “Donghyuck, if you and someone else want to focus on breaking out Mark, we can do that.” 

“Yes please,” Donghyuck says quietly. 

“I’ll help you.” Jeno raises his hand. 

Donghyuck nods. “Thank you.” 

Jisung isn’t used to seeing Donghyuck so muted. He wasn’t there when Mark supposedly died, he only heard about it. But Donghyuck is acting so unlike himself it’s unreal. 

Jisung is starting to think he might have lost two of his friends in that battle.

“When should we plan to do it?” Chenle asks. 

“Once we get the next bit of information, I guess,” Renjun says. 

“Or,” Jaemin says, “we could head back tomorrow to the camp we stopped today. They always keep extra uniforms in their tents.”

“I think we should do that,” Donghyuck says. “We want this over as soon as possible. And we need to find Mark.” 

“We will,” Jeno takes Donghyuck’s hand. “We have to.” 

“And besides, I’ve already found all of you once, I can do it again,” Jisung says, lightening the mood. He manages to get a small laugh from Donghyuck. His heart soars. 

“That you have, Sungie, that you have.” 

* * *

Jisung is thirsty. It’s two am, according to his watch, and he’s parched. 

He slowly slips out of Chenle’s hold. The pair are in the guest room tonight, it being their turn. Meanwhile, Jeno, Renjun, Jaemin, and Donghyuck are all in Mark’s rather large room. Donghyuck didn’t want to spend the night alone. 

As he walks past the closed door, he hears faint cries and a gentle voice shushing them. Jisung pales, but doesn’t investigate. 

Jisung is so worried about Donghyuck, but Jeno and the others seem to have it covered. After all, they did take care of Donghyuck the first time. Being with Johnny seems to help, too. Johnny’s the only other one who could share Donghyuck’s pain to such a level. 

He slips down the stairs quietly, meandering into the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water. He fills it in the sink, then leans back against the counter. He yawns, waking up a little bit more with each sip. 

Then he hears muffled voices from across the house. Curious, he sets down his glass and pads in the direction of the voices. 

They seem to be travelling from Johnny’s office. Slowly, Jisung creeps forward. The door is open just enough that Jisung could poke his head through. 

He hasn’t actually been in Johnny’s office. The older had asked the boys to respect his privacy when they first arrived. They all did, of course; Johnny was already being kind enough to let them stay in his house. 

That being said, Jisung can’t help but scoot to the edge of the door and try to listen. 

“I told you this already, Jung, we need those creatures by tomorrow.” 

“ _ Dude, we’re trying to recapture them. You were the one who insisted we let the kids know the location of that camp.” _

“I didn’t realize you had captured their friends! And I was there, it should have been fine.” 

_ “Look, sir—sorry, okay, we’re rounding up the creatures as fast as we can.”  _

“We can’t risk losing another shipment. Ten is in London for us and he says the London branch is starting to get pissed.” 

_ “Yeah, well, they were the ones who sent the kids our way in the first place so what did they expect?”  _

Jisung is frozen. Unable to stop himself, he peers through the crack in the door. What he sees makes his blood run cold. 

Johnny sits on the floor in a tank top, talking to another man in the fireplace. But that isn’t what’s jarring. 

The large, black, phoenix tattoo poking from behind Johnny’s shirt, curling around his shoulder and bicep, is. 

Fear shooting through his veins, Jisung steps backwards. The floorboard creaks loudly. 

Johnny turns in a flash, making eye contact with Jisung. 

And suddenly, Jisung knows why the eyes of the poacher in the forest looked so familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)   
>  [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)   
>  [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	17. 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Listen up,” Johnny growls, pointing his wand at Jisung’s head. 
> 
> “If you tell a single soul, I will kill every one of your friends, got it?” He presses further on Jisung’s throat. Desperate, Jisung nods. Johnny lets go. Jisung drops to the floor, coughing roughly. 

Before Jisung can move another centimeter, Johnny drags him into the office by his arm. The door closes and locks behind him. 

Jisung is shoved against the wall by Johnny’s hand on his neck. He tries to pull against Johnny’s hand but fails. 

“Listen up,” Johnny growls, pointing his wand at Jisung’s head. 

“If you tell a single soul, I will kill every one of your friends, got it?” He presses further on Jisung’s throat. Desperate, Jisung nods. Johnny lets go. Jisung drops to the floor, coughing roughly. 

“You would kill—” Jisung coughs. “Your own brother?” He looks up at Johnny. 

Johnny smiles. An evil, cynical smile. “I’ve already killed him once, haven’t I?” 

Jisung pales. “You made him fake his death. Why?” He whispers in disbelief. 

Johnny doesn’t say anything. Instead, he walks over to sit in his desk chair. 

Shaking, Jisung pushes himself off the floor, using the wall to stand. 

“You will leave. Now. You can get your stuff, but if you say a word to any of the others, I will know, and I will kill them. In fact,” Johnny stares him down. “If you tell  _ anyone _ , I will know, and they will die.” 

Jisung nods. Tears well in his eyes. 

With a wave of his wand, Johnny unlocks the door. Jisung is very quick to stumble out of it. 

He sprints to the staircase, breath picking up with each step. By the time he reaches the top of the steps he feels lightheaded. It feels like his lungs are closing more and more by the second. 

That being said, he’s careful to not wake Chenle as he creeps into the guest room. He stuffs his wand in his pocket and throws his bag over his shoulder. 

He freezes at the edge of the room, choking on a sob as he looks at Chenle’s sleeping figure. He has to leave him. 

Slowly, quietly, he makes his way over. He shakily presses a kiss to Chenle’s forehead. 

“I love you,” he whispers, backing to the door. He disapparates with a loud crack. 

* * *

The second Jisung lands he drops to his knees, not even knowing where he ended up. He doesn’t care. All he feels is betrayal and pain, immeasurable pain. 

There’s soft grass under his arms as he curls in on himself, placing his forearms on the grass. He rests his head on his forearms, and sobs. 

He can’t help but cry and cry. He’s tired, he’s absolutely terrified, and above all he’s sad. He just had to leave his friends, after he spent weeks finding them, after he broke into prison and into the Ministry and into the Zhong’s. He did everything to find his family and in just 5 minutes he lost them again. 

He doesn’t know how long he cries, but after some time he raises his head only to find himself staring at a grey, engraved slab of stone. 

**Sooyoung Park**

**1976-2019**

**Jihoon Park**

**1973-2019**

**If you fall 7 times, get up 8 times**

More tears drip down his face. 

Why? Why here? Why did he apparate here? 

He chokes on another sob. He wants his family, he wants his mom and his dad. 

His family is dead. His parents are dead. He’s at their graves. 

He can’t reach his friends because if he does, then they’ll die too. 

He’s alone. 

Jisung curls up on the grave, hugging his knees close to his chest. Alone on the cold ground, Jisung closes his eyes to sleep. 

* * *

“Kid? Hey kid, buddy, you gotta wake up.” A gentle shoulder on Jisung’s shoulder shakes him awake. 

Jisung shoots awake in a heartbeat, scrambling to his feet and holding his wand out. His hands are trembling. 

He’s met by a blue-and-grey-haired man, who doesn’t look all that much older than Jisung himself. The man has his hands up. He takes a few careful steps away from Jisung. His eyes are kind. 

“Who are you?” Jisung asks, voice breaking. A few tears drip down his cheeks. What if this man is here to kill him? What if he’s going to hurt him? Jisung feels cornered between the man and the gravestone. He can feel his breathing begin to pick up. 

“My name’s Taeyong,” the man says softly. “I’m not going to hurt you.” 

Jisung shifts his wand in his grip, holding it tighter. 

“How do I know that?” he cries. 

“I promise you, I won’t hurt you.” His voice is calm, relaxing. It reminds him of Jaemin’s, deep and soothing. 

And Johnny’s. 

Jisung feels pain flare in his chest as he chokes out a sob. Jisung dissolves into sobs, his wand arm dropping to his side.

The man—Taeyong—moves closer, holding out his arms. Jisung is so desperate for human warmth, so desperate to just be held, that he runs into them. Burying his face in Taeyong’s shoulder he continues to cry. 

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” Taeyong whispers soothingly, rubbing Jisung’s back. 

“I lost them,” Jisung wails. “I finally found them but he betrayed me and I lost them.” 

“It’s okay,” Taeyong says quietly. Jisung simply shakes his head in the crook of Taeyong’s neck.

“Let me get you some tea,” Taeyong says as Jisung pulls away, finally calming down a little. He sniffles quietly, but nods. 

“Okay.” 

The walk to Taeyong’s house is peaceful. Taeyong talks quietly as they walk. He learns that Taeyong is a couple years older than him, and he’s a healer in his small town. Jisung’s hometown. He only moved in a couple years ago. He knew Jisung’s parents, but never met Jisung himself, due to the younger boy being in school and spending his summers with his friends. 

“I was sorry to hear about your parents, especially because I knew about you. They talked about you a lot, you know? Everytime I went to visit, your mother would ramble on and on about her beloved son and what a great wizard he was,” Taeyong says as they walk. 

Jisung simply shrugs, ignoring the tears in his eyes.

Taeyong had gone to Hogwarts, too. He was a Hufflepuff. That allows Jisung to relax around him a little more. He’s never met a cruel Hufflepuff. Chenle’s a Hufflepuff.

Taeyong has a nice, small house at the edge of the town. He has a large, lush garden in the back, full of magical fruits and plants. 

When Jisung walks through the door, he’s met with a quiet meow. He jumps, looking down to see a squat, orange cat rubbing its head against his leg. 

“That’s Noodle,” Taeyong says. Jisung crouches down to scratch behind Noodle’s ears. Noodle meows happily. 

“You name pets like Jaemin hyung does.” Noodle rolls over, exposing her belly for Jisung to scratch. 

“Who’s Jaemin?” Taeyong walks past him into the house. 

Jisung falters, causing Noodle to meow loudly and rub her head against his hand. Jisung scoops up Noodle, slipping off his shoes and following Taeyong inside. 

“I’ve spent the past couple weeks searching for my friends,” he tells Taeyong. Taeyong leads them to the kitchen, where he has Jisung sit down at the table while he makes them tea. 

“And I finally found them all, but I lost them again.” His voice breaks. 

“Jisungie, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Taeyong says gently, handing Jisung a teacup. Jisung sniffs it. Jasmine. You don’t find Jasmine tea in London very often. 

“I dislike London’s teas,” Taeyong says. “They’re rather boring.” 

Johnny gave them mint teas. However, Renjun almost exclusively served Jasmine tea, saying it was his favorite. 

“I would have to agree.” 

Taeyong gives him a gentle smile. 

Jisung finally allows himself to relax. He feels safe.


	18. 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What you did earlier, to calm me down, what was that?” 
> 
> Taeyong smiles. “It’s a special bit of healing magic.” 
> 
> “But you didn’t use your wand,” Jisung says, confused. 
> 
> “Ah, so that’s what you’re intrigued by.” Taeyong croons. “Wandless magic is difficult to master, but it can be imperative, especially if you have a journey like your own. You never know when you’ll lose your wand. It can save a life.” 
> 
> Jisung nods, hooked on every word. 
> 
> “You want me to teach you, don’t you?” 
> 
> “Yes, please.”

Jisung wakes up choking. 

His vision is clouded and his breathing is ragged. He can’t get air into his lungs. Suddenly he’s up against the wall, with Johnny’s hand pressed to his throat. He grapples at the collar of his shirt, pulling it as far from his neck as possible. 

It doesn’t help. He can’t get air into his lungs. 

Scared and desperate, Jisung cries out. 

“Taeyong!” he yells. “Taeyong help, help please.” He chokes. 

He still can’t breathe, there are tears streaming down his face. 

He’s grown hysterical by the time Taeyong comes running into his room, sitting on the bed beside him. 

“Jisung, Jisungie, you need to breathe.” Taeyong’s soothing voice sounds in front of him, and a weight presses on the bed. 

Strong, calloused hands grab his, pulling them from the neckline of his shirt. 

Jisung just shakes his head, not even able to utter the words to Taeyong. 

He’s starting to feel dizzy, his hands sweaty. 

A cool hand presses against his forehead. Jisung feels a swell of warmth, and suddenly he’s much more relaxed, breaths coming with ease. 

“Jisung, are you okay?” Taeyong asks gently. 

Jisung just shakes his head. Taeyong opens his arms, scooting closer and letting the younger boy fall into them. 

Jisung takes a few deep breaths, closing his eyes and grounding himself. Taeyong deserves an explanation. 

“We were staying with a man we trusted, my friend’s older brother,” Jisung whispers, head on Taeyong’s chest. 

“We were trying to take down a wizard gang, running a black market, and last night I woke up to get water.” His voice breaks. His breathing is picking up. 

“Relax, Sungie, you’re safe here,” Taeyong soothes. 

“I found out his older brother was a part of the gang. He saw I had overheard him, and he said if I told anyone who he was, he would kill all of them.” He gulps. “Even his own brother.” 

Taeyong holds him tighter. 

“They’re in danger, hyung, serious danger.” 

Taeyong simply hums.

“They’ll be okay.” 

“How do you know that?” 

“The universe has funny ways of working things out, and from what I’ve heard, you have already suffered far too much to be tortured any longer.” 

Jisung doesn’t say anything. Instead, he closes his eyes, and slowly drifts to sleep. 

* * *

When Jisung wakes up, he’s tucked back under his sheets, and Taeyong is gone. 

He gets up slowly, slipping on jeans and pocketing his wand. He pulls on the shirt Taeyong gave him, an old Hufflepuff tee. Jisung walks downstairs, smelling fresh fruit and pancakes. 

“Good morning, Jisung,” Taeyong greets him. He’s wearing a soft green sweater and a cute, plain, blue apron. 

“There are pancakes on the table if you’re hungry. Even if you aren’t, you should eat,” Taeyong says, flipping another pancake. 

Jisung takes a seat at the table, helping himself to two pancakes. He takes care dressing the pancakes in fruit, then whipped cream, then syrup. 

He makes a smiley face out of the blueberries, giggling to himself quietly. 

“Having fun?” Taeyong turns from the pancakes. 

Jisung simply points to his pancake, smiling. 

Taeyong laughs brightly when he sees it, ruffling Jisung’s hair. “Cute! You’re a true artist.” 

Jisung beams. 

After a couple more minutes of pancake flipping, Taeyong sits with him, making his own pancake smiley face, but giving his a large strawberry nose. 

“That way he can smell,” Taeyong tells him seriously, eliciting a laugh from the younger. 

Jisung hasn’t felt this at peace since he was in Chenle’s arms. 

He falters mid-bite. 

Chenle. 

He hasn’t even thought of his boyfriend individually since he left, he’s been so caught up in everything. 

“Jisung? Is everything okay?” Taeyong asks, brows furrowed. 

Swallowing, Jisung nods. 

“I just thought of my boyfriend. I had to leave him behind, too.” 

Taeyong smiles at him sadly. 

“I know how you feel.” He rests his hand on the table. Only then does Jisung notice the silver band on his finger. 

“He was an Auror, and a part of the Order. I couldn’t have been more proud of him.” Taeyong sighs. “But he was one of the casualties at the Battle of Hogwarts. And I miss him every single day.” 

Jisung looks up, devastated. 

“But, Jisungie, there’s a lot to learn of life and of death. Death is not the end of it all. Death doesn’t take someone away from you, not completely. Those we love never leave us.” He reaches to place a hand on Jisung’s heart. 

“They will always be with you.” 

Jisung walks over to Taeyong and pulls him into a hug. Taeyong hums, content. 

When they separate, Taeyong takes Jisung’s face in his hands, standing on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Jisung’s forehead. 

“Let’s go do some gardening,” Taeyong says, patting his cheek. 

* * *

Gardening with Taeyong, Jisung decides, is one of the best things on this planet. 

First they pick the dirigible plums—a strange, orange fruit. Then it’s to the shrivelfigs, a squat, purple fruit. Afterwards, they pick the petals from the asphodels and the dittany. Then the wormwood and fluxweed. 

Taeyong has plenty of plants, and as he goes along, he talks quietly with each one, asking how its day has been, if it’s hungry or thirsty, and wishing it well. 

It’s interesting. 

He invites Jisung to do so as well. It’s nice, talking to the plants. They listen rather well. 

Taeyong pushes Jisung over to a large mushroom, and sits him on the ground. 

“Tell it what’s bothering you. It will help.” 

Jisung glaces at Taeyong, unsure, but Taeyong just smiles and gives him a thumbs up. 

Jisung takes a deep breath. 

“Uh, hi. I’m Jisung, and I miss my family,” he introduces himself. 

The mushroom just sits there, listening. 

“I almost died a month or so ago, at the Battle of Hogwarts. I still have nightmares about it.” 

Jisung grows more comfortable as he tells the mushroom everything. His fears and his anxieties, everything he’s scared of regarding his friends. How badly he misses them. How he misses his parents. He tells the mushroom about Azkaban and the incident at the Ministry. He tells the mushroom everything except Johnny’s name. 

He only cries twice, something Jisung’s rather proud of. 

When he finally finishes, he takes a deep breath. 

“Feeling better?” Taeyong calls. He’s watering the dirigible plums. 

Jisung nods. “Much.” 

Taeyong smiles. “I’m glad.”

* * *

“Taeyong hyung,” Jisung says. The two are sitting on Taeyong’s floor, playing card games, when Jisung remembers the events of the morning. 

“What you did earlier, to calm me down, what was that?” 

Taeyong smiles. “It’s a special bit of healing magic.” 

“But you didn’t use your wand,” Jisung says, confused. 

“Ah, so that’s what you’re intrigued by.” Taeyong croons. “Wandless magic is difficult to master, but it can be imperative, especially if you have a journey like your own. You never know when you’ll lose your wand. It can save a life.” 

Jisung nods, hooked on every word. 

“You want me to teach you, don’t you?” 

“Yes, please.” 

Taeyong straightens, shifting to sit cross-legged. 

“Arguably the most important part about wandless magic is your stance,” Taeyong starts, motioning to his legs. “Give me your wand.” Taeyong holds out his hand. Hesitantly, Jisung hands him his wand, which Taeyong gently tosses into the corner of the room. 

Jisung feels a spike of anxiety, remembering the forest. A hand comes to rest on his knee. “Don’t worry, Jisung, we’re safe here. You have to focus, you have to feel the magic within you, and most importantly, you must remain calm.” 

Jisung takes a deep breath. 

“A wand and its core do not inherently possess magic, but are a vessel to allow you to use it. You have magic within you.” 

“Your hands,” Taeyong lifts his hands, “will become the new vessel. However, they do not possess the magical core, which is why it is so difficult to do wandless magic.” 

Taeyong points his fingertips towards the plant next to him. 

_ “Aguamenti,” _ he says, eyes closed. Water flows from his fingertips into the soil. 

“Woah,” Jisung utters. Incredible. 

“Have you ever done wandless magic before? And if so, did you utter the spell?” Taeyong asks, bringing his hands back to fold them on his lap. 

“I have, and I didn’t.” 

Taeyong’s eyes widen, and he smiles. “That’s incredible. Nonverbal wandless spells are incredibly difficult, what did you do?” 

“I unlocked an obobo’s cage. It was scared of wands, so I couldn’t do it with my wand.” 

“Genius.” 

Taeyong takes the cards strewn across the floor, and brings them into one pile. 

“I want you to lift the top card,” Taeyong says. 

Nervous, Jisung gulps. 

He raises his hand, pointing it at the cards. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Feel the magic, direct it. Raise the card. 

_ “Wingardium Leviosa,” _ he whispers. Magic courses through him. He has to focus on holding his hand steady. Except it’s too much magic. 

He opens his eyes to find the cards strewn across the room, one on Taeyong’s shoulder, another on his head. 

Taeyong looks surprised, but he laughs. “An incredible feat for sure, but you must be careful. Let’s try again.” Taeyong waves his hand. The cards return to their pile on the rug. 

Jisung closes his eyes again, this time focusing on letting only a certain amount of magic through. He holds his hand steady and … 

“Amazing!” Taeyong yells. Peeking open one eye, Jisung sees the card levitating in the air. 

He stares at it in shock.  _ He  _ did that. 

“Amazing, Jisungie,” Taeyong says, as the card drops. “Well done, that was excellent.” 

Taeyong seems very excited. 

“You’re really a natural at this, I can’t believe it, let me get you some tea.” 

As Taeyong stands, Jisung hears a sudden, rapid tapping. 

He rises to his feet to see a small owl pecking against the sliding glass window. Taeyong frowns, but lets him in. Jisung takes a closer look at the owl and freezes. 

“It’s Mark’s owl,” he whispers.

Taeyong unties the letter from its foot and hands it to Jisung. 

Jisung gulps, but opens the letter. 

_ Dear Mochi, _

He chokes. It’s Chenle’s handwriting. 

_ Johnny said you’re dead.  _

He  _ what? _ Shocked, Jisung keeps reading. 

_ But I don’t believe him, I heard you disapparate that night. I wish I had told you I love you too. I do love you. I love you so much. Johnny woke us up that morning, distraught, and said you had left in the night, that when you came back, you were bleeding out, and he didn’t have time to save you. He told us he had already buried you. I don’t fucking believe him.  _

Jisung winces. Chenle rarely swears. 

_ I know you’re out there, Ji, I just need confirmation. I don’t know what happened, or why Johnny lied. I’m hoping he lied. I know you, I know you wouldn’t just leave us like that, not when you tried so hard to find us. You wouldn’t leave  _ _ me _ _ like that, I know you wouldn’t. I don’t trust Johnny anymore. The rest do. We’re infiltrating tomorrow, Saturday. We’ve been using this time to mourn. The rest think you’re really dead. I just pray you get this, and you are alive, and wherever you are, you’re safe. If you’re alive, send back Tiger (seriously can any of our hyungs name pets), with a red string around his right foot. I love you, and I miss you, and I will find you, just like you found all of us.  _

_ So much love,  _

_ Your Chenle _

Wordlessly, Jisung summons a string. He turns it red, then ties it to the owl’s right foot, sending it off again. 

He doesn’t even think about how he doesn’t have his wand.


	19. 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong fixes him with an oddly intense stare. 
> 
> “You must stay alive.” 
> 
> A chill goes down Jisung’s spine. But he slowly nods. 
> 
> “I promise.”

“Jisung, are you absolutely sure about this?” Taeyong asks. 

Jisung had shown him the letter immediately after reading it, overflowing with anxiety.

“Hyung, I have to go, they could all die or all be captured and I can’t let that happen,” he rushes out. 

Taeyong puts the letter down and places two hands on Jisung’s shoulders. 

“Jisungie, you need to relax. When you get panicked, you start to freak out, and that could cause you to be seriously hurt, so I want you to focus on breathing slowly, okay?” 

Jisung nods, closing his eyes and focusing on breathing in and out. 

“There you go. I want you to do that whenever it happens. Find a way to ground yourself and focus on breathing in and out. If there’s someone around, have them breathe with you, and try to match with their breaths.” 

Jisung nods again. “I need to go, they don’t know they’re walking directly into a trap, Johnny could—” He slaps a hand over his mouth. 

Panic completely overtakes him. He just told Taeyong Johnny’s name. He needs to leave, he needs to protect them. 

“Jisung! Jisung!” Taeyong shouts. Jisung can’t hear, he can’t breathe, he can’t see. Johnny’s going to kill them, he said he’d know, he said he’d kill them. Jisung can’t breathe. 

“Jisung, buddy, you need to breathe with me, you need to relax.”

“Hyung, he’s going to kill them!” Jisung cries, hysteric. 

A palm lands on his forehead. Jisung feels a swell of magic and suddenly it’s like his lungs have opened up. He can breathe again. 

Instead Jisung simply begins to cry. 

“I said his name, Taeyong, he’s going to kill them.” Taeyong simply pushes him into one of the seats around the table and gives him a cup of tea. 

“I didn’t hear it, so it’s fine.” 

Jisung blinks owlishly. “What?” 

“I said I didn’t hear it.” 

Taeyong opens the glass sliding door. 

“I didn’t hear what he said!” He yells into the sky. “So you can fuck off!” 

Jisung gives a wet laugh. 

“That, Jisungie, is what you need to be able to get down from.” 

Jisung nods slowly, nursing his tea. 

“If that happens during battle, you’re in trouble.” He takes a seat across from Jisung. “I would recommend trying to push if off, you need to fight, so you can panic later. That kind of thought.” 

Jisung nods slowly again. 

Taeyong lets out a sigh. “I know I can’t stop you from going tomorrow. But I want you to promise me one thing.” 

“What is it?”

“If killing curses are being thrown towards you, you will leave. Apparate back here, apparate somewhere else. Hell, you can bring all your friends here.” 

Taeyong fixes him with an oddly intense stare. 

“But you must stay alive.” 

A chill goes down Jisung’s spine. But he slowly nods. 

“I promise.”

“If it’s in a duel, that’s different, but still, you must be careful.” 

Jisung gulps. “I will.” 

* * *

The next morning comes quicker than Jisung anticipated. 

He packs his bag the night before. Taeyong gives him plenty of food and a handful or jasmine tea packets.

Jisung stands before Taeyong, wand in hand. They had one final breakfast together of waffles and berries. 

“Here, Jisung.” Taeyong shows him a small, purple pendant. “For strength.” He fastens the pendant around Jisung’s neck. 

Jisung can’t help the tears welling in his eyes. “I’ll miss you, hyung.” 

“Oh, Jisungie,” Taeyong coos. He pulls Jisung into a tight hug, which Jisung melts into. 

“You’ll see me again. You need to introduce me to all your friends, especially Chenle.” 

Jisung smiles weakly. 

Taeyong cups his face with his hands, presses a kiss to Jisung’s forehead. 

“Your parents would be so proud of you, Jisung.” 

A tear drips down Jisung’s cheek, but he quickly brushes it away. 

“See you soon, hyung.” 

_ Crack! _

* * *

Jisung takes a deep breath. Chenle had included a note on the bottom of his letter, with a picture of the door into the gang’s main building. 

It’s a large warehouse. Jisung takes another deep breath. He needs to center himself. 

He sneaks up to an upper window by transfiguring a tree branch into a rope and using it to climb up. 

He slips through the window, landing on the upper floor. It’s a short piece of flooring, and Jisung scoots slightly forward, so he can see the main floor. 

His blood runs cold at the yelling and shouting. Spells are being shot all over the place, and Jisung can see his friends in the thick of it. Mark is chained to the far wall. 

His friends stand in a circle, their backs to one another. 

But then Donghyuck drops, stunned. Ropes curl around Jaemin’s ankles and wrists, leaving Jeno’s back exposed. A white curse hits Jeno in the back, causing him to drop to his knees with a shout. 

Jisung wants to dive in and fight, but something is holding him back. He currently has the advantage of being hidden. He wants to keep that advantage for as long as possible. 

But his friends are severely outnumbered, and Jisung isn’t sure how much of this he can watch. 

He scours the floor for Johnny, but doesn’t see him. The coward is probably still hiding. 

Quietly, Jisung walks closer, so he’s standing right next to (and above) his friends. 

His heart stops as he watches a blast of green light fly towards Renjun. 

In a millisecond, Jisung thrusts forward his wand. White lightning shoots out of it, crashing into the green spell. Renjun takes a step back in shock, looking up at the risers. 

“Jisung!” 

All of the soldiers freeze, turning towards him. 

Jisung gulps. Fuck. 

Well, he has nothing to lose. Jisung takes a step back, then leaps over the railing and to the ground floor, cushioning his fall with a charm. 

His friends stare at him, shocked.

He waves, before ducking as a wizard shoots a green spell at him. 

_ “Incendio!” _ Jisung yells, casting the flames. He focuses, putting all of his energy, spreading the flames so they encompass him and his friends, protecting them. 

“Help those two back!” He yells, nodding to Donghyuck and Jaemin. Renjun and Chenle are on the ground in an instant, Renjun waving his wand over Donghyuck’s unconscious body and Chenle untying Jaemin. 

They finish just in the knick of time, as Jisung’s fires die down. 

And when it does, Jisung finds himself face to face with a very, very, angry Johnny Seo. 

Oh. Shit. 

Jisung’s blood runs cold. He sticks his arms out instinctively, protecting his friends. 

Johnny raises a hand, halting any of the other wizards’ attacks. 

“Jisung Park, what are you doing here?” His tone is threatening, tense, as if any second he could snap, and Jisung would be dead. “I’m pretty sure I told you not to tell anyone.” He raises his wand and points it directly at Renjun. 

“I think I’ll start with you,” he snarls. “You’re the reason Mark couldn’t join me. And you got us all into this mess.” 

Renjun grips his wand tightly, moving to stand next to Jisung. He glares at Johnny. 

“Renjun, stay behind me,” Jisung whispers to him. 

Renjun doesn’t move, so Jisung pushes him back. He’s just in time, as a bright green spell flies past them. 

“I didn’t tell any of them,” Jisung shouts back. “You have no right to kill them.” 

Johnny glares at him. 

“You told Taeyong.” Johnny points his wand at Chenle this time. 

Jisung’s heart jumps in fear. Panic shoots through him. He takes a deep breath. He can panic later. 

“He didn’t hear me, it was fine. And I didn’t tell him anything, I just said your name.” 

“YOU TOLD HIM YOU LITTLE SHIT, DON’T FUCKING DENY IT,” Johnny roars. “I should have EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW, AND YOU’RE RUINING IT.” 

Jisung’s heart stutters as complete and utter fear fills him. He reaches back and squeezes Chenle’s hand three times, before stepping forward. 

“Duel me,” Jisung says, gripping his wand tightly. 

“Jisung, no!” Chenle cries from behind him. 

Johnny laughs loudly. 

“If I win, you don’t resist when we turn you in, and you let them all go. If you win, I die, and we don’t bother you again.” 

“You die, huh,” Johnny chuckles. “I like the sound of that.” 

Jisung gulps, preparing his stance. His hands are shaking, but he ignores it. He’s never been so scared in his life. 

Johnny shoots the first spell, red light flying towards Jisung. 

_ “Diffindo!” _ Jisung shouts, firing the spell back. They collide and disperse. 

Johnny shoots a white spell. Jisung responds with _Reducto_. They go back and forth, each time getting faster and faster, but neither seem to land a hit. 

Until Jisung miscalculates and fires too far to the right. Johnny’s spell grazes his right arm, slicing through his bicep. Jisung stumbles back, gripping his right arm with his left hand. Johnny’s spells don’t stop, and Jisung is forced to defend himself, casting spell after spell. 

Johnny’s spells are only red at this point. Jisung knows it’s the Cruciatus Curse. He used it on him in the forest, and he won’t hesitate to use it again. 

Johnny has the upper hand. Jisung is starting to panic. But his life is at stake. His friend’s lives are at stake. He takes a quick glance behind him, making brief eye contact with Chenle, whose eyes are full of worry. 

He has to win. He has to. 

It takes about three more spells before Jisung realizes he can’t win this by brute force alone. He has to outsmart him. 

_ Crack! _

Jisung apparates behind him, hitting Johnny in the arm with a curse before Johnny registers what happened and turns. 

Johnny roars in pain or anger, Jisung can’t tell, and immediately is on full offense. The two fire spells back and forth. Colliding and dispersing, colliding and holding, each putting their energy into their spell. 

_ “Avada Kedavra!”  _ Johnny shouts, tone full of anger. Jisung’s heart skips a beat. 

_ “Diffindo!” _ He cries back, shifting his stance and holding out his wand. He can’t lose. He can’t. He holds his wand tight, feeling it vibrate in his hands. There’s a jolt of fear as he realizes the wood of his wand is splitting. 

Jisung jerks his wand to the side, sending their spells flying into the side of the building. 

Johnny sends the Cruciatus Curse flying at him again, while Jisung fires _Reducto_. Their curses collide and disperse. 

Then he remembers his promise. If someone shoots the killing curse. Disapparate. 

In a blink, Jisung disapparates again, landing on the second floor rafters.

He has the upper hand now, truly. He shoots spell after spell. Ropes wrap around Johnny’s ankles, knocking him to the ground, but then Johnny shoots the platform Jisung is standing on, and the landing falls to the ground. It all happens too fast, and Jisung is unable to cushion himself. 

Sharp pain shoots through his ankle as he lands on the ground, and he has to do his best not to scream. He bites down on the inside of his cheek, hard. 

“Not so confident now are you, Jisungie!” Johnny cackles. 

“Go on,” he says, “get up, or I’ll kill you where you sit.” 

Jisung struggles to push himself to his feet. His ankle is on fire.

“I SAID GET UP. I WANT TO KILL YOU WHILE YOU’RE STANDING.” Johnny roars. Jisung is utterly terrified. 

“Come on, Jisungie!” Chenle shouts. Jisung takes a deep breath. 

He has to win. 

He gets up, putting very little pressure on his left ankle. He hops out of the wreckage of the scaffolding. 

But he needs a proper stance, so he lowers his foot and stands. 

He raises his wand. 

_ “Avada Kedavra!” _ Johnny shouts. 

_ “Reducto!”  _

Blue meets green, and the two curses fight against one another. Jisung can feel his wand splintering in his hands. 

He throws the spells at the wall again, putting all of his might into it. 

Johnny throws a white curse at him, and Jisung reacts too slowly. It hits his wand. His wand splinters in half. 

“No!” Renjun shrieks. 

Jisung’s heart pounds in his chest. He’s not going to die. 

He promised. 

He takes a deep breath and grounds himself. Feel the magic. Your hand is your wand. 

“Oh well you look at that, Jisungie, look who—”

_ “Expelliarmus!” _ Jisung shouts, doing the spell motion with his hand and pointing it at Johnny. 

It hits his wand hand perfectly, and Johnny’s wand goes spinning into the air. Jisung catches it. 

Jisung doesn’t waste another second. He waves Johnny’s wand, sending ropes from it. They wrap tightly around Johnny’s wrists and ankles, knocking him to the ground. 

“I won,” Jisung says coldly. And with that, he snaps Johnny’s wand. 

“They’ll do it when you’re sent to Azkaban anyways.”

“Jisung!” Chenle shouts. He sprints towards Jisung, pulling the younger into his arms gently, careful not to jostle his arm or ankle. 

Jisung takes a deep breath. He’s safe in Chenle’s arms.

“You’re a dumbass, I can’t believe what you just did,” Chenle says. He pulls away from Jisung, holding his face in his hands. Chenle presses a big kiss to his cheek. “I love you, you know that, right? Merlin, Jisung, I can’t believe you just did that.” 

At that, Jisung can’t help but burst into tears, the panic and the fear finally culminating. The rest of his friends come to surround him, Donghyuck having unchained Mark while Jisung and Johnny were duelling. They all crowd him in a large group hug. 

“I thought I had lost you guys again,” he cries. “I didn’t want to go, but he said he’d kill you if I didn’t.” Chenle holds him close to his chest.

“It’s okay, Jisung,” Jaemin says. “We’ll always be with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH WOWW can u believe it's almost over??  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/chenjisthisand_)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/chenjisthisandthat)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/chenjisthisand_)


	20. 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung sits on Jaemin’s back porch. 
> 
> He’s taking a minute of silence, away from all of the craziness that is seven boys living together in one small apartment.

They turn Johnny in to the American Ministry of Magic. 

They decide not to bring him back to London, considering he was operating in America and the London Ministry is still in shambles. Renjun ends up still having to deal with his department back home. He spends about two days writing constant letters and talking to his colleagues through the fireplace, trying to catch those who were a part of the gang, or were involved with the black market. 

Jeno steps up while they’re chatting with the American Ministress of Magic and tells her about his experience at Azkaban. She signs a policy immediately, prohibiting the use of unforgivable curses on prisoners. In addition, she agrees to look into freeing those muggleborn and half-blood unlawfully jailed. 

They finally head home after that. Exhausted, bloody, and definitely a little traumatized. 

They all stay together at Jaemin’s apartment, no one wanting to be apart. At times, Jisung forgets he isn’t the only one who’s missed his friends. He’s been so focused on his journey that it slips his mind that they all miss each other equally as much. 

Jisung’s just the only one stupid enough to go on a wild goose chase to try to find them. But it worked, somehow. 

Jisung’s ankle and arm heal up nicely, thanks to lots of potions from Jeno. Things are looking up. 

But not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Mark and Donghyuck are both devastated by Johnny’s betrayal, Mark more than anyone. 

To the point where, after about five days, Jisung realizes Mark has been avoiding him. 

Chenle noticed first. He pulled Jisung aside and asked why Mark was avoiding him. Jisung didn’t have an answer. 

Renjun must’ve noticed, too, because he sits them all down in the living room, and announces that it’s time for a talk. 

“It’s been a week,” Renjun begins, “and we haven’t talked about what happened. Mark, I’m sure you have a lot on your mind.” 

They’re curled up across two couches, Renjun in Jeno’s lap while Jaemin sits on the floor between their legs, his head resting on Renjun’s thigh. Mark and Donghyuck are on the other side of the couch, curled together, while Chenle and Jisung sit on the smaller couch. 

Mark sighs. 

“Jisung, why didn’t you tell us?” is Mark’s first question. 

Jisung shifts uncomfortably. “He said he’d kill you guys,” he answers truthfully. Mark’s eyes widen. 

“Even me?” 

Jisung gulps. “He said he already did kill you.” 

Mark pales with realization. Next to him, Donghyuck’s jaw drops. 

“You’re telling me he was the reason I lost Mark? And thought he was dead?” 

Jisung can only nod. 

Donghyuck frowns. He looks reasonably upset. 

Mark isn’t done, though. 

“He really said he’d kill me?” Mark asks, his resolve beginning to crack. 

Jisung nods. 

Mark takes a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly. Jisung can see his hands are shaking. 

“Why did you two duel?” Mark asks. 

Jisung is confused at first, before he remembers Mark had been chained to the wall during the entirety of their fight, and therefore missed hearing the reasoning behind it. 

“I suggested it,” Jisung says. 

“Which was fucking stupid,” Chenle grumbles. He slips an arm around Jisung, holding him tight. “It’s a literal miracle you weren’t killed, a magical miracle.” Jisung rests his head on Chenle’s shoulder. 

Jisung wants to argue, but then he remembers he only learned wandless magic thanks to Taeyong, and Taeyong is definitely a miracle. Jisung doesn’t know what he would’ve done if Taeyong hadn’t found him that morning at the grave. 

“The terms were simple—” He’s cut off again. 

“If Jisung won, Johnny went to jail and we all went free, but if Johnny won, we would have to flee the country, and Johnny got to kill Jisung,” Chenle says, tone bitter. Jisung winces, hoping Mark knows that his tone is directed at Johnny, not him. 

Mark’s jaw drops. 

“Did he try to kill you?” he asks. 

“Yes, multiple times.” Chenle speaks for him again. 

“Huh.” Mark slumps against Donghyuck’s side. He looks devastated. 

“I’m sorry, hyung,” Jisung says. Tears well in his eyes at the sight of Mark so distressed. 

“I don’t blame you, Jisung.”

“But it’s my fault! I found out, I caused all of this, I kickstarted everything.” 

“Jisung, if you hadn’t found out and stepped in when you did, we all would’ve died,” Renjun says firmly. 

“Except I would’ve been with you guys in the first place if I never found out. It’s my f—” 

He’s cut off by Mark standing and pulling him into a hug. 

Jisung stiffens before relaxing in Mark’s hold, resting his chin on Mark’s shoulder. 

“You weren’t the bad guy, Sungie, it isn’t your fault,” Mark whispers, just to him. “And now we know the truth.” Mark pulls back, squeezing Jisung’s upper arms instead. 

“In the end you saved us,” Donghyuck pipes up. 

“Yeah, Jisung, how did you do that?” Jaemin asks. 

Jisung smiles at the thought of Taeyong. He takes time to recount every detail of their time together. His breakdown in the night and Taeyong’s tips, the pancakes and the gardening, the long conversation he had with the mushroom. He tells them about the wandless magic, Taeyong’s teachings. Finally, he tells them about his promise. 

“He made me promise to stay alive,” Jisung says, smiling. “He told me to disapparate if someone shot the killing curse, that’s why I ended up on the loft, even if that backfired.” 

Chenle hums. “I like this guy, I should’ve made you promise that.” 

“We’re glad you met him, Jisung.” Jaemin smiles at him gently. “It sounds like he came just when you needed him.” 

“He told me he wants to meet you all, we’ll have to go once we’ve rested.” 

“We’d love to,” Renjun says softly. 

* * *

Jisung sits on Jaemin’s back porch. 

He’s taking a minute of silence, away from all of the craziness that is seven boys living together in one small apartment. 

He’s reminiscing about their Hogwarts days, when they’d all sneak out to meet each other after hours, and go have picnics on the astronomy tour, under the vast night sky. 

He misses those days, but he doesn’t have to reminisce any more. He can have them now. They’re all back. 

Jisung is scared he’ll lose them again, but he knows if he did, he would find them. 

That doesn’t stop the anxiety and the fear. Jisung will need time to heal from that. He still has regular nightmares. Being cornered, Johnny’s hand against his neck, his friends dying over and over, and Jisung being helpless to save them. Most nights he wakes up crying, sometimes screaming. Chenle always holds him, whispering quietly, promising not to leave. 

He closes his eyes, resting his cheek on his knee. Right now, they’re all safe. 

“Jisung?” A tiny voice says from behind him, and he hears the sliding door crack open. 

Jisung turns, making eye contact with Penny. 

“Hi, Penny,” he says softly. 

“May I join you?”

Jisung nods. 

Penny steps outside, closing the door behind her. 

“I don’t think Renjun likes Penny very much,” she says, sitting next to him. She mimics his position, bringing her knees up to her chest. 

Jisung laughs lightly, remembering Renjun’s reaction when he found out Jisung had gotten them a house elf while they were gone. 

Renjun screamed, a very high-pitched scream. Then he promptly whipped out his wand and threatened to curse Jisung into next week if he didn’t explain. Luckily for both Jisung and Penny, Jisung’s sob story of feeling lonely and not wanting Penny to be lonely was convincing enough, and Renjun begrudgingly put his wand away. 

His reaction was in stark contrast to Jaemin’s, who immediately cooed and introduced himself. 

“He’ll come around, don’t worry. He seems scary, but really he’s a big softie.” 

Penny just nods, rocking back and forth. 

“Jaemin is nice,” she says. 

Jisung hums. “He is.” 

“Chenle is still Penny’s favorite,” Penny mumbles, eliciting a laugh from Jisung. 

“He’s mine, too.” 

“Did you find everyone you were looking for?” Penny questions. 

A smile grows on his face. 

“I did, I found all of them.” 

“That’s good. Was it dangerous?” She looks up at him curiously. 

“It was,” he starts. 

He’s cut off by the screen door opening. 

“Hey, cutie, hey, Penny, it’s dinner time.” Chenle appears in the doorway, a smile on his face and his hair messed up, flopped to the side. Jaemin was probably bothering him again.

Chenle steps away, leaving the door open. 

“But it was worth it.” He looks at Penny. She’s staring at him with wide eyes. 

“I found my family.” 

Jisung is at peace. 

* * *

  
  


_Dear Taeyong hyung,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I did it. I defeated him. It was a stroke of luck, really. My wand was shattered by his spell, and he wasn’t expecting me to disarm him without my wand. But I did. Then I started crying after Chenle hugged me. Haha. Hyung, thank you. You helped me out so much, and I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it had you not found me by that graveyard. We’ll visit soon for sure. Chenle’s going to love you, I know it. He already does, ever since I mentioned you made me promise to stay alive. Thanks for that, by the way._

_I have a lot of healing to do, for sure, and I might need to have another conversation with your mushroom. I still freak out when Chenle wakes up before me, and he isn’t there when I wake up. I also still freak out when anyone corners me, or I feel trapped. It’s scary, but I told Chenle the technique you taught me and he’s been helping me calm down. Jeno also can do that calming magic you can, with his wand. Penny can do it with her hand. They’re helping me out, a lot, and it is kinda overbearing and annoying sometimes, but I don’t blame them._

_I’m no longer alone. I never really was alone, like you said, but I felt alone. I’m finally at peace, hyung. We made it. We’re all safe, we’re all sound. I have you, I have Chenle and Penny. In my heart I have my parents._

_I’m happy._

_Lots of love! We’ll visit soon,_

_Jisung_

_P.S. Tell Noodle I say hi_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH oh my goodness!!!!! we've finally reached the end ;-; This is so emotional for me, as it's my first chaptered fic and it's finally over after 20 long weeks. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has followed this fic and supported me throughout it. I love you all so much and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to read this fic! I hope you all enjoyed~
> 
> Love, Fran
> 
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